The 1891 International Electrotechnical Exhibition was held between 16 May and 19 October on the disused site of the three former ( Western Railway Stations) in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. The exhibition featured the first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current, which was generated 175 km away at Lauffen am Neckar. As a result of this successful field trial, three-phase current became established for electrical transmission networks throughout the world.

History

The "Elektrotechnische Gesellschaft" (Electrotechnical Society) was founded in Frankfurt in 1881 with the aim of promoting electricity and, in particular, furthering research into its application for industry and technology. Three years later, some ten manufacturers of electrical equipment had set themselves up in the city. In around 1890, some of the enterprises were established which would later become major firms in Frankfurt: Hartmann & Braun, Staudt & Voigt (from 1891 Voigt & Haefner) and W Lahmeyer & Co (from 1893 Elektrizitäts-AG, previously W Lahmeyer & Co). And it was in Frankfurt that the "second

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

" began to emerge – a revolution that would bring about fundamental changes similar to those created 100 years previously by the introduction of the

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be ...

to the world of work. In 1891, the German electrical industry was ready to demonstrate its capabilities to the world at the International Electrotechnical Exhibition. A site was chosen – that of the former western stations between the city and the new main station, which had been completed in 1888. Prompted by the Paris " Exposition Universelle" (

World Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

) of 1889, Leopold Sonnemann, publisher of the ''

Frankfurter Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Zeitung'' () was a German-language newspaper that appeared from 1856 to 1943. It emerged from a market letter that was published in Frankfurt. In Nazi Germany, it was considered the only mass publication not completely controll ...

'' newspaper, interested the Electrotechnical Society in the idea of an exhibition. The Society expressed an interest and started preparations in the same year. However, there was another consideration apart from the setting up of an international exhibition – Frankfurt had an urgent problem to solve. The construction of a central

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

had been under discussion in the city's political and technical committees since 1886. However, agreement had still to be reached over the type of current, and opinions were divided between

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or ev ...

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

and three-phase current. It fell to the exhibition to demonstrate a commercially viable method for the transmission of electricity. Three-phase current with a minimal loss of 25% would be transmitted at high voltage from Lauffen am Neckar to Frankfurt. This took centre stage at the exhibition and was evidenced in the large three-section entrance gate. The central section took the form of an arch bearing the inscription "Power Transmission Lauffen–Frankfurt 175 km." Rectangular panels flanked the arch: the one to the right carrying the name of the " Allgemeine Electricitätsgesellschaft" ("AEG" – General Electricity Company), which had been founded in 1887; the left-hand panel displayed the name of the "Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon" (Oerlikon Engineering Works). The entire entrance was illuminated with 1000 light bulbs and an electrically powered waterfall provided a further attraction. With 1,200,000 visitors from all over the world, the exhibition was an out-and-out success. The cost of a one-day entry ticket for an adult amounted to a considerable 15

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...

. As far as Germany was concerned, the International Electrotechnical Exhibition settled once and for all the question of the most economical means of transmitting electrical energy. When the exhibition closed, the

at Lauffen continued in operation – providing electricity for the administrative capital,

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. A ...

, thus making it the first place to be equipped with a power supply using three-phase AC. The name of the local power company (ZEAG) bears testimony to this event. The Frankfurt city council constructed its own

near the harbour; yet another was built by a private company in the suburb of Bockenheim.

Equipment

A hydraulic turbine at Lauffen powered a three-phase alternator with a revolving field. The alternator revolved at 150

revolutions per minute Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensio ...

, and had a rotating field magnet with 32 poles. It was rated at 300 hp and had a terminal voltage of 55

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defin ...

s. The

frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...

of the current was 40 Hz. Power from the alternator was stepped up to 8000 volts for transmission by oil-insulated

transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

s. Later tests were carried out with transmission voltage up to 25,000 volts (between phases). The

transmission line In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmi ...

was erected with the assistance of the German Post Office and used about 60

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

s of copper wire, 4 mm in diameter. At the exhibition, the voltage was stepped down by further oil-filled transformers and connected to motors and a motor-generator system for lamps. Overall efficiency from turbine to load was an average of 75%, which resolved many doubts of the practicality of long-distance electric power transmission.* Silvanus P. Thompson
''Polyphase Electric Currents and Alternate-Current Motors''
E. & F. N. Spon, London 1895. Thompson gives a detailed description of the Lauffen and Frankfurt machines on pages 27–33, with illustrations. The transmission system is described on pages 106–110

Gallery

Lauffen-Frankfurt 1891c.jpg, Entrance to the exhibition Lauffen-Frankfurt_1891b.jpg, Distinguished visitors at the power station: photograph by

Oskar von Miller Oskar von Miller (7 May 1855 – 9 April 1934) was a German engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, a large museum of technology and science in Munich. Biography Born in Munich into an Upper Bavarian family from Aichach, he was the son of ...

. Among others: Karl von Leibbrand,

Emil Rathenau Emil Moritz Rathenau (11 December 1838 – 20 June 1915) was a German entrepreneur, industrialist, mechanical engineer. He was a leading figure in the early European electrical industry. Early life Rathenau was born in Berlin, into a ...

Marcel Deprez Marcel Deprez (12 December 1843 – 13 October 1918) was a French electrical engineer. He was born in Aillant-sur-Milleron. He died in Vincennes. Biography Deprez was born in Aillant-sur-Milleron in rural France and attended the School of Mines ...

, Gisbert Kapp, Dr.

John Hopkinson John Hopkinson, FRS, (27 July 1849 – 27 August 1898) was a British physicist, electrical engineer, Fellow of the Royal Society and President of the IEE (now the IET) twice in 1890 and 1896. He invented the three-wire ( three-phase) system fo ...

, Charles Brown, Emil Huber, and the telecommunications pioneer

William Henry Preece Sir William Henry Preece (15 February 1834 – 6 November 1913) was a Welsh electrical engineer and inventor. Preece relied on experiments and physical reasoning in his life's work. Upon his retirement from the Post Office in 1899, Preece was m ...

, who would later be knighted. Lauffen-Frankfurt_1891a.jpg, Waterfall powered by a 100 HP Pump Lauffen-Frankfurt_1891g.jpg, Three-phase motor with associated pump behind the

artificial waterfall An artificial waterfall is a water feature or fountain which imitates a natural waterfall. Artificial waterfalls have long been featured in traditional Japanese gardens, where they can serve to highlight a scene or to provide focus. The clas ...

. The map shows the route of the overhead cable, which followed approximately that of a railway line. There were some 3,000 masts, 9,000 oil insulators and 60 tonnes of (4 mm)-diameter copper wire. IEAFrankfurt1891h.jpg, Lithograph showing the pump and transformer house behind the waterfall Lauffen-Frankfurt 1891f.jpg, Power station at Lauffen where current was generated Lauffen-Frankfurt 1891e.jpg, Three-phase generator at the Lauffen power station IEAFrankfurt1891b.jpg, The exhibition featured the first ascents for passengers in a tethered balloon IEAFrankfurt1891c.jpg, Official poster IEAFrankfurt1891d.jpg, Exhibition site IEAFrankfurt1891e.jpg, Stand of

Siemens & Halske Siemens & Halske AG (or Siemens-Halske) was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens. It was founded on 12 October 1847 as ''Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske'' by Werner von Siemens and Johann Ge ...

Internationale Elektrotechnische Ausstellung, Frankfurt 1891, Helios.jpg, Stand of Helios AG IEAFrankfurt1891g.jpg, Postcard on sale for the (then) princely sum of 5 pfennigs Lauffen-Frankfurt1891-1991.jpg, Postage stamp marking the 100th anniversary of the transmission of electricity

References

Bibliography

* Jürgen Steen (Hg.): "Eine neue Zeit ..!", Die Internationale Elektrotechnische Ausstellung 1891. Frankfurt am Main 1991 (Ausstellungskatalog Historisches Museum Frankfurt am Main), * Horst A. Wessel (Hg.): Moderne Energie für eine neue Zeit, siebtes VDE-Kolloquium am 3. und 4. September 1991 anlässlich der VDE-Jubiläumsveranstaltung "100 Jahre Drehstrom" in Frankfurt am Main (= Geschichte der Elektrotechnik, Bd.11). Berlin/Offenbach 1991, * Volker Rödel: Fabrikarchitektur in Frankfurt am Main 1774–1924, Frankfurt 1986, S.30f., * Sabine Hock: ''Mehr Licht für Frankfurt'', Oskar von Miller brachte Frankfurt auf den Weg zur Elektrifizierung, ''Wochendienst'' Nr. 16 vom 26.04.2005, hg. v. Presse- und Informationsamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main

External links