J & E Wood
Encyclopedia
J & E Wood was a company that manufactured stationary steam engine
s. It was based in the Bolton
district of Manchester
in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills
in Lancashire and elsewhere.
J & E Wood engines were characterised by having their neat appearance, the valve gear being beneath the cylinders. From 1875 on, they only used Corliss valves.
known as Shaw slack. This has a calorific value of 12,963 Btu/lb. During the two days of the test the engine developed power of 1089.7 and 1049.4. The power developed on the two sides of the engine was balanced being 542.2 IHP and 547.5 IHP. On the two days 1.37 lb/IHP hr and 1.38 lb/IHP hr. Taking into account that coal could be bought at 6s/ton- this means that 1d would buy 23.1 IHP hrs or 5544 IHP hrs per pound sterling. For a thermal efficiency point of view, of the 14935 Btu of heat supplied, 2595 Btus were converted into mechanical work. This is an efficiency of 0.172 while a perfect engine gives 0.279, so the engine has a relative efficiency of 0.616. This is taken as the reference standard for a engine of this configuration.
Stationary steam engine
Stationary steam engines are fixed steam engines used for pumping or driving mills and factories, and for power generation. They are distinct from locomotive engines used on railways, traction engines for heavy steam haulage on roads, steam cars , agricultural engines used for ploughing or...
s. It was based in the Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
district of Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in Lancashire and elsewhere.
History
The firm started out as Knight and Wood, having premises at Victoria Foundry, Garside Street, Bolton. The name changed around 1860 to James and Edward Wood.J & E Wood engines were characterised by having their neat appearance, the valve gear being beneath the cylinders. From 1875 on, they only used Corliss valves.
The Mutual Mill Engine
On the 7th September 1893, one of J & E Woods engines that had been placed in Mutual Mills, Rochdale in 1892 was extensively tested by Mr JLF Crosland and the results published.These were triple expansion. They have 4 cylinders arranged in a horizontal double tandem formation. The HP (high pressure) had a bore of 21 inches (533.4 mm), the IP (intermediate pressure) had a bore of 33 inches (838.2 mm) and the two LP (low pressure) cylinders 35 inches (889 mm). The stroke was 6 feet (1.8 m) and the engine operated at 53 rpm. The engines were fitted with Corliss valves operated by a simple proprietary trip motion. The piston rods for the HP and IP are 4.75 inches (120.7 mm) and 5.25 inches (133.4 mm). During the test, the two 30 feet (9.1 m) by 8 feet (2.4 m) Lancashire boilers with 3 ft 2 in diameter flues produced steam at 156 psi. There were Galloway tubes in the flues and behind the boilers was an economiser with 288 pipes. Water was delivered to the boilers at 304 °F (151.1 °C). The boilers were fed by mechanical stokers that used coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
known as Shaw slack. This has a calorific value of 12,963 Btu/lb. During the two days of the test the engine developed power of 1089.7 and 1049.4. The power developed on the two sides of the engine was balanced being 542.2 IHP and 547.5 IHP. On the two days 1.37 lb/IHP hr and 1.38 lb/IHP hr. Taking into account that coal could be bought at 6s/ton- this means that 1d would buy 23.1 IHP hrs or 5544 IHP hrs per pound sterling. For a thermal efficiency point of view, of the 14935 Btu of heat supplied, 2595 Btus were converted into mechanical work. This is an efficiency of 0.172 while a perfect engine gives 0.279, so the engine has a relative efficiency of 0.616. This is taken as the reference standard for a engine of this configuration.
Mills driven by their engines
- Trencherfield MillTrencherfield MillTrencherfield Mill is a cotton spinning mill standing on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Wigan, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1907 It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. It was driven by 2,500 hp triple-expansion...
, Wigan- this engine is still in steam operating every Sunday as a visitor attraction. - Pilot Mill, BuryPilot Mill, BuryPilot Mill, Bury is a four-storey cotton spinning mill in Radcliffe, Bury, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1905. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished, it survived and as of 2010 is in use by Antler...
- Royd Mill, OldhamRoyd Mill, OldhamRoyd Mill, Oldham is a cotton spinning mill in Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1907, and extended in 1912 and 1924. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1981.-Location:Oldham is a large...
- Mutual Mills