cient capacity to serve as a standby, although the 118 kw unit could
still carry the load.
As a result it was necessary to arrange the
water distillation schedule in such a manner that it could be shut

down while the 118 kw unit was being overhauled.

Figures 5.15-3 and

5.15-4 show the power and water distillation plant, equipment and
piping plan for Japtan Island.

Runit Island, The Aomon Group, andEngebiIsiand. At the time
of the Reconnaissance Report, the total maximum demand including camp
load, utility, and instrumentation demands for scientific structures
was estimated at 200 kw each for Runit, Aomon, and Engebi, On this
basis each power plant was designed to accommodate three 118 kw units
of which two were to be installed,with space for the third unit. During the middle of 1950, the loads required for the experimental islands were considerably increased due to additional experiments to be
incorporated in the tests. The indicated increase in power demands
made the installation of a third unit on each of the experimental
islands necessary, and three units of 195 kw capacity each were requisitioned July 3, 1950.
As the electrical demands of the new experiments became firm, it developed that the increase on Runit would
not be as great as on Aomon and Engebi and that for Runit the addi-

tion of a 118 kw unit would be adequate.

One unit of this size was

available because it had been procured for an experiment on Bogallua
and by this time the Bogallua experiment had been abandoned. Therefore a 118 kw unit was added to the power plant on Runit; a 195 kw
unit on Aomon; and a 195 kw unit on Engebi. The third 195 kw unit
was used in the power plant on Eniwetcok as previously described, Figure 5,.15-5 shows the power and water distillation plants and equipment plans for Runit, Aomon, and Engebi; Figure 5.15-6 shows diesel
engine pipe for these power plants.
The power houses on Runit, Aomon, and Engebi were designed to
withstand the pressures resulting from the experiments in order to
insure the proper operation of the equipment installed. All were
built of reinforced concrete. The buildings were 42 feet wide by
51 feet deep with a ceiling height of 15 feet. A small mezzanine
platform 14 feet by 17 feet was provided in one corner for auxiliary
equipment. The walls and roof slabs on Runit and Aomon were 17 inches
thick, and at Engebi 18 inches thick. The roof slabs were designed
as beamless flat slabs supported on four reinforced concrete columns
having flared capital heads and on the exterior walls. The walls
were designed to span from the floor slab to the roof slab and special
framing was provided around the door openings.
The structures were set partially below grade level and mounded
over with earth on three sides to a depth of two feet over the roof
slabs, Wing walls were provided at the rear to retain the earth mound
ing on the side away from zero so that access could be gained to the
doors in the rear wall before and after the experiments.
Steel blast doors were provided for two openings, one six feet
wide by seven feet high for passing equipment and one two feet, two
5-210

Select target paragraph3