PFARR

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

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11.12.1851 Frankfurt-Main/D - 11.12.1912 Darmstadt/D

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Adolf Pfarr graduated as a mechanical engineer in 1873 from the Royal Polytechnic of Stuttgart. He joined Voith turbine designers in Heidenheim in 1875 for the following twenty-two years and finally directed this well known turbine company. Pfarr there developed particularly the Francis turbine both by a sound theory which was tested in the in-house hydraulic laboratory. The "Pfarr-Regler" developed in 1891 as a mechanical regulation device was manufactured for years by Voith. The historical turbine of Lauffen at Neckar River by which Oscar von Miller (1855-1934) initiated the transport of electrical power over a long distance was also equipped with this device. Pfarr was appointed in 1897 professor of hydraulic machinery at the Technical University of Darmstadt where he continued works in his specialty and brought his institution to wealth and prestige. Pfarr served as a rector of his university in the term 1902/03. He was awarded the honorary doctorate from Aachen Technical University in 1912.

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Pfarr was known for his 1907 book on how turbines may be used in hydropower practice. This work includes chapters on the work of water jets on both plane and curved surfaces, the draft tube of turbines, the computation of the radial turbine, means to increase turbine efficiency, regulation of turbines, water supply to turbines and jet turbines. Following this success Pfarr served as a consultant for large hydropower installations of the time, notably the Rheinfelden scheme on Rhine River and the Trollhättan works in Sweden with one of the top power productions then world wide. Pfarr installed one of the first hydraulic laboratories for hydro machinery in Germany, following his success with such an installation during his stay with the Voith Company.

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_{Anonymous (1913). Georg Adolf Pfarr. Zeitschrift VDI 57(5): 161-162. P}

_{Anonymous (1913). G.A. Pfarr. Schweizerische Bauzeitung 61(6): 78.}

_{Pfarr, A. (1892). Bremsergebnisse an radialen Reaktionsturbinen (Francis-Turbinen), speziell der Königsbronner Anlage und einer Spiralturbine. Zeitschrift VDI 36(28): 797-805.}

_{Pfarr, A. (1897). Neuere Turbinenanlagen, ausgeführt von der Maschinenfabrik J.M. Voith in Heidenheim a. Brenz. Zeitschrift VDI 41(28): 792-801.}

_{Pfarr, A. (1907). Die Turbinen für Wasserkraftbetrieb. Springer: Berlin.}

_{Pfarr, A. (1908). Die Peltonradanlage des Elektrizitätswerkes der Stadt Nordhausen. Zeitschrift VDI 52(31): 1224-1229. http://www.siedentop.de/schweickert/07vor1904.htlm}