Munich Exhibition of Oscar von Miller. Part 2. A Remarkable Result (On the 140th Anniversary of the Misbach-Munich Power Transmission of M. Depre)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the first power transmissions over a long distance. In 1873, the French engineer H. Fontaine transferred electrical energy between a dynamo and a DC motor over a kilometer distance. The efficiency of this power transmission was rather poor, but the experiment became widely known and interested many scientists. However, a low level to which the electrical engineering had been developed by that time, lack of electricity consumers, high cost, and poor reliability of electrical equipment did not allow the problems of power transmission efficiency to be solved within a short period of time. After the advent in 1876 of P.N. Yablochkov’s lighting system and the electrical market, the issue of constructing power transmission lines was becoming increasingly more urgent. Theoretical studies of a number of electrical engineers: D.A. Lachinov, O. Froelich, M. Deprez, and others showed ways to increase the power transmission efficiency, the value of which could be higher than 50%. These works faced incomprehension from many eminent electrical engineers of that time. Practical proof was required. The article describes the central event of the Munich Exhibition in 1882 - the transmission of electrical energy over a distance of 57 km from Miesbach to Munich, implemented by Marcel Despres and Oscar von Miller. In fact, this was the first experience of creating a high-voltage DC power line in history. A bold power transmission experiment over such a considerable distance was of great importance for the development of electric power industry and served as impetus for accelerating work in this field.