St. Pancras Power Station
in King's Road, Camden, London.
1891-2 A new plant was built at Stanhope Street, London, for the St Pancras Vestry; also known as the Regent's Park Station. It was considered a model plant for its time; with 6 main dynamos to the design of Gisbert Kapp driven by triple expansion engines made by Willans and Robinson. Each main generator could deliver 680A at 112-130V. In addition there were two dynamos giving 90A at 540-575V for arc lighting and battery charging.
Steam pressure was 170 psi from single-drum Babcock and Wilcox boilers, served by a 90 ft brick chimney, with a 50 ft long pipe attached to the outside for exhaust when engines were running non-condensing. Normally the steam was condensed by jet condensers, whose water supply came from an underground 170,000 gallon tank. The heated water was pumped to the top of a cooler, whence it descended over a zigzag arrangement of corrugated iron sheets to be be cooled by air flow.
1893 Three more units added at Stanhope Street.
1896 A new combined power station and refuse destructor opened at King's Road. There were two Belliss and Morcom 200 HP 350 rpm engines. Each drove two 65 kW Crompton and Co dynamos. The condenser cooling water arrangements were similar to those at Stanhope Street, but with a smaller underground tank (120,000 gallons).
The eastern boundary was on King's Road, and the northern frontage was on Georgiana Street, under which was a subway connecting to the Bangor Wharf on the Regent's Canal. The 207 ft 6" high chimney was constructed by Kelly Bros of Liverpool. Goddard, Massey and Warner supplied the destructor plant. The furnaces were equipped with Healey mechanical stoking fire bars powered by a 24 IHP Chandler (Bumsted and Chandler?) 'silent' engine. Forced draught was provided by Sturtevant blowers powered by small Goddard, Massey and Warner vertical engines.[1]
1912 'ELECTRICITY EXTENSIONS. New 5,000 kW TURBO SET.
Alderman Mitchell, chairman, moved an adjourned report of the Electricity and Lighting Committee, which reported in regard to the 5,000 kilowatt turbo set which the Council had decided to have fixed at the King's road generating station, that the Committee had received and considered twelve tenders for the supply of the same, but since having done so their attention had been drawn by the Electrical Engineer to the Ljungstrom turbine, which was of the very latest class, and the Committee had deputed Aldermen Matthews and Mitchell to visit Sweden in company with the Electrical Engineer. The turbo in question is being manufactured in this country by the Brush Electrical Co, and the deputation were extremely satisfied with the working of it from what they could see by the two days' test. After further consideration, in which several points of detail were minutely gone into, the Committee had no hesitation in advising the Council that the provision of a 5,000 kilowatt Ljungstrom Turbine as offered by the Brush Electrical Co. Ltd., would be the most economical and up-to-date plant which the Council could provide for the generation of electricity, and they therefore recommended that the tender of the Brush Electrical Co., Ltd., for the supply of 5,000 kilowatt Ljungstrom Turbine be installed at the King's road generating station prior to the winter of 1914 for the sum of £14,050, exclusive of foundations, and for the loan of a 1,000 kilowatt Ljungstrom set, to be provided at the station for the use of the Electricity undertaking prior to the installation of the 5,000 kilowatt set, for the sum of £1,500, be accepted, and that a contract be entered into with the company under seal accordingly. The report and recommendation were agreed to without observatlon.'[2]
1914 1000kW Brush-Ljungstrom turbo-generator set installed at the King's Road works. Its steam consumption at all loads was markedly lower than that of the other machines. The consumption at full load was 12.75 lb 'per unit', compared with 16.15 for the 1909 2.2 MW turbine alternator and 17 for the 1906 DC machine [3]
1925 'The Electricity and Public Lighting Committee recommend St. Pancras Borough Council accept the tender the Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Limited, of Loughborough, Leicestershire, for the supply and erection of a 10,000 kilowatt steam turbine with alternator, condensing plant, steam and water circulating pipes, etc., for the sum of £40,660. Fifteen complete tenders and six tenders for condensing plant were received. Five of the tenders were from foreign firms, and the Committee, being opinion that the Council would desire the set to be of British manufacture, state that they gave consideration to the offers made British firms. The chief electrical engineers of St. Pancras Borough advised the acceptance of the tender to supply a Ljungstrom turbine by the Loughborough firm. The Committee add that four large Ljungstrom turbines of Brush Company’s manufacture are at present running in St. Pancras Council’s electricity works, and had proved entirely satisfactory.' [4]
1926 A boiler-house extension was constructed; the boilers, superheaters and economisers, and the piping, were supplied by Babcock and Wilcox, the pulverising and burning equipment by International Combustion; the induced draught fans were by Davidson and Co, coal handling plant by Naylor Brothers; weighing machine by Simon, Ltd., and the ash handling plant by Underfeed Stoker Co.[5]
A further boiler house extension was under construction by the end of 1926 by Vickers Boiler Co as main contractors.
1927 10,000kW Brush-Ljungstrom turbo-generator set installed.
1953 Oil firing equipment fitted to the four pulverised fuel fired boilers to boost the steam output at peak load periods and to improve combustion. Oil firing installation by Fuel Firing Ltd., Woodley, Reading.[6]