The Hercules Turbine

The 1827 water wheel was replaced by an 18″ Hercules Turbine of 64 horsepower in approximately 1890 and was fed by the same lade as the waterwheel. The Hercules turbine was installed with its axis vertical in a small building just next to the North wall of the main mill building, two sets of bevel gears being used to transmit the power to the line shafting in the main mill. Today the Hercules turbine building can be seen at the West end of the power turbine building.  The extract from the 25-inch OS map of 1900 shows the routing of the mill lade at the time the turbine was operational, interestingly the water was led underground via a pipe attached to the end of the lade into the turbine tank. Until recently the turbine was thought removed and destroyed when the new E&W turbine was installed in the 1920's however recent investigations and a drop in the water level has revealed that that the turbine is still in fact in the turbine pit.

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“Turbine of 50/60 Horse Power, with auxiliary engine if required. (The engine was not required at all last year, there being sufficient water in the neighbouring loch throughout the year) (Hercules Turbine 18” Cost about £200. Fall 26 Feet. H.P. 64, Cubic Feet per minute. 1645)” Source Document Aberdeen City Archives

OS Map 1900. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland