Turbine Governor

Provenance

Camera: NIKON D7000
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings: 36mm · f/8.0 · 0.4s · ISO 100
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

The bearing pedestal and green-painted housing of a Parsons turbine in the Turbine Hall. Parsons turbines entered service at White Bay from 1928, beginning with a 20 MW unit (No. 9). Later 50 MW Parsons units followed; the last of these ran until Christmas Day 1983.

Edition

Open edition

Open edition
Printed to order, no fixed quantity. Each print is hand-signed by the photographer.

Limited edition
A fixed number of prints exist. Once sold, the edition closes permanently. Each print is individually numbered and signed.

$100.00 AUD

Colour

Signed, numbered, with COA. Made to order in 10 to 20 business days (framed). Shipped in protective packaging with edition certificate, paper-stock reference and a printed care guide.

See certificate sample →

Shipping Free shipping over $250. Ships worldwide, rates calculated at checkout.

Returns Damaged in transit? We replace it. Full policy →

Ships within 10 business days · signed & numbered

In situ

01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title: Turbine Governor
Series: White Bay Power Station
Catalogue: WBP-073
Process: Giclée
Captured: 13 November 2015
Camera: NIKON D7000
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 0.4s s
ISO: 100
Focal length: 36 mm
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size: 290 × 200 mm
Location: Rozelle, New South Wales, Australia
Authenticity: C2PA verified provenance →
Recognised by: Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards

02 LOCATION

Rozelle, New South Wales, Australia

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

03 THE STORY

About this print

The turbine governor mechanism at White Bay Power Station is mounted on the turbine shaft end, a centrifugal flyball assembly in cast iron with the drive spindle connected to the main rotor. The flyball arms pivot on a collar fitted to the shaft and move outward as speed increases, actuating a relay valve that modulates the steam admission to the turbine casing. The relay valve body is bolted to the governor pedestal. Oil supply and return lines from the main lube oil system connect to the governor housing. The whole assembly sits inside a machined steel guard. Identification plates are fixed to the pedestal giving the governor setting and the rated speed.

Turbine governors at White Bay Power Station maintained constant running speed across varying electrical loads. As the demand on the tram and rail network rose and fell through the day, the governor responded automatically to keep the turbine at its rated speed, matching output to load without manual intervention. White Bay's Parsons turbines were later units rated at 50 MW, added during the B and C Station expansions between 1923 and 1948. The station ran from 1917 to Christmas Day 1983 under the NSW Government Railways and, from January 1953, the Electricity Commission of NSW. Speed regulation became increasingly important as White Bay began supplying the wider NSW grid after 1958. Governor maintenance was a scheduled item in the turbine overhaul programme.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

A Parsons steam turbine dominates the floor of the turbine hall. Pale green paint peels from its cylindrical housing, exposing dark iron beneath. The governor mechanism sits at the near end, its valve gear and linkages seized with rust. Bolts the size of fists anchor the assembly to a concrete plinth. Grit and debris cover the surrounding floor. Tall windows along the far wall let in cold blue light. A control panel stands to the right, its gauge faces blank.

Brett Patman

The series

White Bay Power Station

2015–2018 · 124 photographs

Bricklayers laid 3.7 million bricks at White Bay across three and a quarter years of Phase 1 construction, on Wanngal Country at the western edge of Rozelle. The New South Wales Government Railways ran the build through its own Construction Department. By 3 July 1913, boilers and alternators were running before the buildings that housed them were complete.

View all in this series →

05 SIZE GUIDE

Print sizes

The anatomy view shows what this finish is as a physical object: paper margin, mat band, frame depth, acrylic profile. The comparison strip shows how each size sits relative to the others at true scale. Click a size or a finish to update both.