Philo Power Plant

{{Short description|Power plant in Muskingum County, Ohio, U.S.}}

{{Infobox power station

| name = Philo Power Plant

| image = Ohio-Power-Plant-Philo.jpg

| image_caption = Philo Power Plant following the completion of Unit 3 in 1929

| country = United States

| location = Philo, Ohio

| coordinates = {{coord|39|51|52|N|81|54|15|W|region:US-OH_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| owner = Ohio Power

| operator = Ohio Power

| status = D

| th_fuel_primary = Coal

| ps_cooling_source = Muskingum River

| th_technology =

| ps_combined_cycle =

| ps_electrical_capacity = 510

| commissioned = Unit 1: 1924
Unit 2: 1925
Unit 3: 1929
Unit 4: 1941
Unit 5: 1942
Unit 6: 1957

| decommissioned = Unit 1: 1957
Units 2–6: 1975

}}

The Philo Power Plant was a 510 megawatt (MW), coal power plant located in Philo in Muskingum County, Ohio. It was the first power plant in the United States to apply steam reheat and supercritical steam generator technologies for its turbines. The plant had six units and its operations were handled by Ohio Power, a forerunner of American Electric Power (AEP). It operated from 1924 until ceasing in 1975.

History

Construction of the Philo Power Plant began in 1922 with the plant designed by Sargent & Lundy.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/287392754/|title=American Gas & Electric Co. To Erect Mamm'th Structure On 'The Island' At Philo Soon|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=August 14, 1922|page=1|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} Philo began commercial generation with Unit 1 in 1924.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/294028088/|title=Philo Power Plant To Shut Down|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=May 6, 1975|page=1-B|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 24, 2018}} This unit initially had a nameplate capacity of 35 MW from General Electric's curtis turbine, but was raised to 40 MW after performing well on its test run.{{cite journal|url=https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/33905/OS_ENG_v10_i04_005.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y|title=The Philo Power Plant|last=Byrne|first=John F.|journal=The Ohio State Engineer|volume=10|issue=4|date=May 1927|pages=5, 26|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} The turbine had a maximum pressure of {{convert|600|psi|abbr=on}} and temperature of about {{convert|725|°F}}. It was the first unit in the country that utilized steam reheat. Unit 1 was decommissioned and replaced by Unit 6 in 1957.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/294234401/|title=Philo Plant Produced First Power 50 Years Ago|last=Schneider|first=Norris F.|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=October 20, 1974|page=1-D|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} Unit 2 was completed in 1925 and also had a nameplate capacity of 40 MW.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/294168106/|title=Ohio Power Co. To Build Another Big Plant In This State|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=January 10, 1925|page=1|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} The total cost of both units was $10 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/16194625/|title=Power Line Will Be Strung Thru S.E. Of County|newspaper=Coshocton Tribune|date=October 11, 1922|pages=1, 5|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} Unit 3 was completed in 1929 with a nameplate capacity of 165 MW.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/321089688/|title=Giant Turbine Now In Operation A Great Progressive Development|newspaper=Coshocton Tribune|date=August 4, 1929|page=2|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/15954630/|title=To Spend $17,000,000 At Philo|newspaper=The Zanesville Signal|date=January 12, 1927|page=1|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} The total cost to construct Unit 3 was $17 million. Units 4 and 5 were completed in 1941 and 1942 respectively and each had a nameplate capacity of 85 MW.

Philo Unit 6

File:American Electric Power Headquarters Sculptures.jpg in Columbus, Ohio]]

Philo Unit 6 was the nation's first commercial supercritical steam generator. The unit began commercial generation in 1957 with nameplate capacity of 120 MW.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/293190796/|title=New Philo Unit Step Forward In Electric Power Production|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=May 8, 1957|page=8-A|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}} Its steam generator, designed and built by Babcock & Wilcox, had a maximum pressure of {{convert|4500|psi|abbr=on}} and an operating temperature of about {{convert|1150|°F}}.{{cite web|title=Philo 6 Steam-Electric Generating Unit|url=https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/228-philo-6-steam-electric-generating-unit|website=ASME|accessdate=December 24, 2018}} Its steam turbine was designed and built by General Electric that made 3,600 rpm. The unit was able to demonstrate operations at ultrasupercritical levels, but due to the lack of metals able to tolerate the extreme temperatures, the levels were unsustainable.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.powermag.com/first-u-s-ultrasupercritical-power-plant-in-operation/|title=First U.S. Ultrasupercritical Power Plant in Operation|last=Patel|first=Sonal|magazine=POWER Magazine|date=February 1, 2013|accessdate=December 24, 2018}} To support the new unit, a {{convert|183|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} smokestack was erected. The total cost to construct Philo Unit 6 was approximately $19.5 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/293150452/|title=Ohio Power 1957 Planning Includes $29 Million Here|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=March 5, 1957|page=7|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 27, 2018}}

Operations

When Philo began operations, the plant maintained a thermal efficiency of 24% consuming 14,000 BTU. Coal used by the plant came by either rail or river barge. Most of the coal burned at Philo was mined within the State of Ohio with some coal coming from West Virginia. Water was sourced from the Muskingum River with its intake being above a dam and was discharged below the dam. At the time of its deactivation, 203 employees worked at the plant.

Closure and demolition

Philo was deactivated on May 31, 1975. The company cited declining electricity demand during the 1973–75 recession and the facility being surpassed by newer, more efficient power plants. The plant went on standby following deactivation with a single unit used to regulate voltage. Ohio Power remained optimistic that Philo would be reactivated.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/322101634/|title=Ohio Power Still Plans To Stress Coal|newspaper=Coshocton Tribune|date=March 13, 1977|page=13|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 23, 2018}} The plant was eventually demolished in 1983.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/285223158/|title=Industrial Development Brought Philo Boom|last=Schneier|first=Norris F.|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=September 11, 1983|page=8-A|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 24, 2018}} After the Philo Power Plant was demolished, the rotors from the turbine from Unit 6 were utilized in a sculpture created by George Greenamyer.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/285238896|title=Historic Philo Generating Unit 6 Becomes Part Of AEP Sculpture Display|newspaper=The Times Recorder|date=October 9, 1983|page=3-A|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=December 24, 2018}} The sculpture was unveiled in October 1983 as a part of a landscape design project for the newly built AEP Building located in Columbus, Ohio.{{cite web |title=Turbines: Twin Branch Unit #4 & Philo Unit #6, (sculpture) |url=https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1545N6996D78H.3667&profile=ariall&uri=full=3100001~!315035~!0#focus |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |accessdate=December 24, 2018}}