Brimsdown Power Station
of Brimsdown, near Enfield
1904 The station (later known as Brimsdown "A") was brought into operation by the North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Co, equipped with three 1000-kW, 10-kV turbo-alternators and boiler working at 160 lb. pressure.
1907 officially opened. The station was used primarily to supply the local tramways. Coal was supplied by barge or by rail.
Later a 1500-kW vertical Curtiss set and a 3000-kW horizontal machine were added
Between 1924 and 1955, extensions of the station were constructed, supplying power to the wider area of Enfield and parts of Essex.
First all of the turbine plant, with the exception of the 3000-kW set, were removed and replaced by four 5000-kW machines, together with eight additional boilers, giving a station capacity of 23,000 kW.
1926 First extension of 40 MW, the B station.
1928 First turbo-alternator to generate directly at 33 kV (Parsons 25 MW unit at Brimsdown "B"). Designed by Captain J. M. Donaldson. [1]
1930 Description of 25 MW turbine-alternator at Brimsdown. 'This new departure consists in replacing one of the original generators, which was designed for a voltage of 11,000, by a “ spare,” fitting on to the same bedplate, but generating current at 33,000 volts, which is that of the transmission lines. High-voltage alternators High-voltage alternators blading mounted on an extension of the shaft had, it is true, been constructed by Messrs. Ganz as far back as 1905, but these were slow-running water-driven machines of what would now be considered moderate ratings, ....'[2] [3]
1933 A 7500-kW set was installed in place of the 3000-kW machine and was used solely for the works supply for the Brimsdown B station.
1934 The A station was put on a care-and-maintenance basis. A 7500-kW set was installed in the B station.
1934 Description and illustrations of the recent extensions [4][5][6]
1938 Brimsdown "A" was rebuilt; December: commissioning of a pioneer high pressure plant at Brimsdown "A", operating at steam conditions of 1,900 lb/sq. in. and 930°F on a reheat cycle. At the time this was the highest steam pressure adopted in the UK for turbines.
The two boilers were of the Loeffler forced-circulation type, capacity 210,000 lb/h continuous maximum rating.[7]. This was the only known British example of the Loeffler boiler system, which addressed a number of metallurgical and feedwater quality problems.
In 1959 the A station's two Loeffler boilers supplied one 20 MW and one 31 MW Metropolitan Vickers turbine-alternators. The B station had four C. A. Parsons and Co 25 MW turbo-alternators and one Metropolitan Vickers 56.9 MW twin set.[8]
1974 Station decommissioned
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] 'Electricity Supply in the UK: A chronology' Electricity Council, c. 1987
- ↑ Engineering 1930/08/15
- ↑ Engineering 1930/08/29
- ↑ Engineering 1934/06/08
- ↑ Engineering 1934/06/22
- ↑ Engineering 1934/06/29
- ↑ [2] 'Electricity Supply in the UK: A chronology' Electricity Council, c. 1987
- ↑ Wikipedia Wikipedia: Brimsdown Power Station