Hayle Power Station
Encyclopedia
Hayle Power Station was a coal-fired power station
situated at the mouth of the River Hayle
, at Hayle
in Cornwall
, South West England
.
. It began on 7 May 1910, and was completed thirty weeks later on 12 December 1910 and generation began.
Initially the station used a single 900 kilowatt (kW) Belliss & Morcom (B&M) steam turbine
, supplied with steam by two Babcock and Wilcox
boilers. This powered a Dick, Kerr & Co.
alternator. In 1911 a 500 kW (B&M) was added, to utilise steam from the first turbine. This powered a Lancashire Dynamo alternator. Another two identical generating sets were added between 1912 and 1913. Between 1914 and 1916, two 3,000 kW Richardsons Westgarth & Company
, each supplied with steam by two Hancock & Wilco boilers. This brought the station's generating capacity to 8,800 kW.
In 1928 a 7,500 kW British Thomson-Houston
(BTH) turbo-alternator was added, supplied with steam from two Babcock & Wilcox boilers. In 1929, a 500 kW Parsons
turbo alternator was moved to the station from Carn Brea Power Station, along with a Babcock & Wilcox boiler, but they were never satisfactory and were removed by 1935.
In 1932, a 10,000 kW English Electric
turbo-alternator was added, provided for by a Sterling boiler. In 1933 the station was connected to the National Grid, so electricity could be imported or exported by the company. A 300 kW English Electric turbo alternator was installed in 1935, primarily for pumping circulatory water around the station in case of a shut down. By this time the station's nameplace generating capacity was 36,600 kW, but in 1936, the first six generating units were put up for sale as scrap, bringing the capacity down to 27,800 kW.
In 1938, Imperial Chemical Industries
built the British Ethyl Works near to the power station, and the station provided it directly with electricity at 11 kilovolts. The works also used the station's waste hot water. Associated Octol took over using the station's water in 1948. In December 1938, heavy snow fell on England and for the first time the station was required to operate at maximum capacity.
In 1939, a 15,000 kW English Electric turbo alternator was added, provided with steam by a Sterling boiler. However this created problems with high water temperature and cooling problems on low tides, and so a dam was built near the station.
In 1947, another 15,000 kW English Electric turbo alternator was added, provided with steam by two Sterling boilers. In 1949, a 20,000 kW English Electric turbo alternator was added, with a Yarrow
boiler. In 1959, another 20,000 kW turbo alternator was added, this time provided by BTH, as well as another Yarrow boiler. This brought the station's generating capacity to its highest, at over 70,000 kW.
In 1972, some of the station's older generating sets were taken out of service. In September 1973, Associated Octol closed and ceased to take the station's hot water. This, combined with large, modern stations taking base load, led to the station rarely being called upon to generate, and it closed by the end of the year.
The station's two chimneys
were demolished in June 1981. The station's turbine hall
and boiler room were demolished the following December. To fit with an agreement made before the station's construction, the site was cleared following demolition.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
situated at the mouth of the River Hayle
River Hayle
The River Hayle is a small river in west Cornwall, UK which issues into St Ives Bay at Hayle on Cornwall's Atlantic coast.The River Hayle is approx 12 miles long and it rises south-west of Crowan village. Its course is west for approx 5 miles...
, at Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
.
History
On 13 March 1910, Harvey & Co of Hayle signed an agreement with the Cornwall Electric Power Company, for them to build a power station on land owned by them. Stage 1 of the station's construction was completed by Carkeeks of RedruthRedruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
. It began on 7 May 1910, and was completed thirty weeks later on 12 December 1910 and generation began.
Initially the station used a single 900 kilowatt (kW) Belliss & Morcom (B&M) steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
, supplied with steam by two Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
boilers. This powered a Dick, Kerr & Co.
Dick, Kerr & Co.
Dick, Kerr and Company was a locomotive and tramcar manufacturer based in Kilmarnock, Scotland and Preston, England.-Early history:Having previously been known as W.B.Dick and Company the company had built all kinds of tramway equipment and rolling stock. From 1883 the company joined with John Kerr...
alternator. In 1911 a 500 kW (B&M) was added, to utilise steam from the first turbine. This powered a Lancashire Dynamo alternator. Another two identical generating sets were added between 1912 and 1913. Between 1914 and 1916, two 3,000 kW Richardsons Westgarth & Company
Richardsons Westgarth & Company
Richardsons Westgarth & Company was a leading British shipbuilding and marine engineering business. The Company was based in Hartlepool and was a major employer in the area.-History:...
, each supplied with steam by two Hancock & Wilco boilers. This brought the station's generating capacity to 8,800 kW.
In 1928 a 7,500 kW British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
(BTH) turbo-alternator was added, supplied with steam from two Babcock & Wilcox boilers. In 1929, a 500 kW Parsons
C. A. Parsons and Company
C. A. Parsons and Company was a British engineering firm which was once one of the largest employers on Tyneside.-History:The Company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1889 to produce turbo-generators, his own invention. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the company was producing...
turbo alternator was moved to the station from Carn Brea Power Station, along with a Babcock & Wilcox boiler, but they were never satisfactory and were removed by 1935.
In 1932, a 10,000 kW English Electric
English Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
turbo-alternator was added, provided for by a Sterling boiler. In 1933 the station was connected to the National Grid, so electricity could be imported or exported by the company. A 300 kW English Electric turbo alternator was installed in 1935, primarily for pumping circulatory water around the station in case of a shut down. By this time the station's nameplace generating capacity was 36,600 kW, but in 1936, the first six generating units were put up for sale as scrap, bringing the capacity down to 27,800 kW.
In 1938, Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
built the British Ethyl Works near to the power station, and the station provided it directly with electricity at 11 kilovolts. The works also used the station's waste hot water. Associated Octol took over using the station's water in 1948. In December 1938, heavy snow fell on England and for the first time the station was required to operate at maximum capacity.
In 1939, a 15,000 kW English Electric turbo alternator was added, provided with steam by a Sterling boiler. However this created problems with high water temperature and cooling problems on low tides, and so a dam was built near the station.
In 1947, another 15,000 kW English Electric turbo alternator was added, provided with steam by two Sterling boilers. In 1949, a 20,000 kW English Electric turbo alternator was added, with a Yarrow
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
boiler. In 1959, another 20,000 kW turbo alternator was added, this time provided by BTH, as well as another Yarrow boiler. This brought the station's generating capacity to its highest, at over 70,000 kW.
In 1972, some of the station's older generating sets were taken out of service. In September 1973, Associated Octol closed and ceased to take the station's hot water. This, combined with large, modern stations taking base load, led to the station rarely being called upon to generate, and it closed by the end of the year.
The station's two chimneys
Flue gas stack
A flue-gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. Flue gases are produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial furnace, a power...
were demolished in June 1981. The station's turbine hall
Turbine Hall
The turbine hall, generating hall or turbine building is a building that is a part of any steam cycle or hydroelectric power plant which houses a number of components vital to the generation of electricity from the steam that comes from the boiler, or from the water coming from the reservoir...
and boiler room were demolished the following December. To fit with an agreement made before the station's construction, the site was cleared following demolition.