Ernst Danielson
Ernst Danielson (1866-1907)
1908 Obituary [1]
ERNST DANIELSON, of Westeras, Sweden, died in September, 1907.
Born on January 19, 1866, he studied at Upsala, and passed through the works of the Stockholm Electric Company, and then through the Technical High School at Stockholm.
For some time he held the position of Assistant Engineer to the Stockholm Electrical Company, and in 1890 he went to the United States, where he entered the service of the Wenstrom Consolidated Dynamo and Motor Company, at Baltimore, and afterwards joined the General Electric Company of Schenectady.
In 1892 Danielson was offered the position of Chief Engineer to the Almanna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget at Westeras, which position he held until 1895.
He then started practice as a Consulting Engineer in Stockholm, and among other important works for which he was responsible was the scheme for utilising the water-power of the Trollhattan Falls. Subsequently he became Technical Director of his company at Westeras, but was obliged to resign in 1903 on account of failing health.
His most important work was in connection with the 3-phase system and its utilisation for power transmission. During his two years' stay in America he had exceptional opportunities for making exhaustive practical tests with the 3-phase system, and became convinced of its practical importance.
On his return he devoted considerable attention to the design and development of 3-phase apparatus. His first machine fully realised all expectations, and on the basis of experiments with this the theory was still further developed, and Danielson was able to draw up his plans for the use of the 3-phase system for power transmission on a considerable scale. The first work to be carried out was the well-known power transmission installation at Hellsjon-Grangesberg, the success of which led to several other power schemes, such as Hofors, Boxholm, etc. The fact that after a lapse of twelve to fourteen years, during which numerous developments have taken place in electrical science, these installations of Danielson are still working, bears striking testimony to his engineering judgment and ability.
He was elected a Foreign Member of the Institution in 1894.