Dunston Power Station
1908 The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Co had acquired land at Dunston, opposite the Elswick works on the north bank, on which it would build a power station that would supply 30,000 hp to the County of Durham Electrical Power Distribution Co and other purposes, as well as supply areas around the higher part of the river and the rest of the County of Durham.[1]. The construction was undertaken by the company of Sir Robert McAlpine.
1910 The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Co opened Dunston Power Station to supply the area south of the River Tyne (later called the A station). The station was originally equipped with two turbo-alternators rated at 7.2 MW, made by AEG of Germany, and two turbo alternators rated at 6.25 MW and 13.2 MW, made by Brown Boveri of Switzerland, for a total generating capacity of 33.85 MW. The turbo alternators were supplied with steam from 24 coal burning Babcock & Wilcox marine water-tube boilers.
1911 A series of articles was published in The Engineer about the power station. Read them using the links below;
- (No. I) : The Engineer 1911/07/07.
- (No.II) : The Engineer 1911/07/14.
- (No.III): The Engineer 1911/07/21.
1929 Selected for use in the North-East England Electricity Scheme[2]
1947 Between 1947 and November 1955, the station was extended, and a 15 MW Parsons gas turbine turbo-alternator was installed, bringing the capacity of the station up to 48.85 MW. The gas was supplied by pipe line from the Norwood Coke Works, 1.5 miles away in the Team Valley.
1957 Ceased generation.
B Station
The B Station was the first of a new power station design, and stood as a landmark on the Tyne for over 50 years. It was built to replace the A power station in the expectation of the transition from the 40 Hz system, used by the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Company, to the 50 Hz system, used by the new UK National Grid, which took place in 1932.
1930 Description of equipment to be installed at Dunston 'B'. Six 50,000-kw. sets planned, but only three sets to be installed initially. Orders had been placed with C. A. Parsons and Co for the turbine-generators, having one high-pressure and one low-pressure. Initial steam conditions 600 psi, 800 deg. F. respectively. After leaving the high-pressure turbine the steam would be re-heated to 825 deg. F. Condensers by Richardsons, Westgarth and Co of Hartlepool. Alternators to generate at 13.5 kV, stepped up to 66,000 kV for transmission. The main switchgear by A. Reyrolle and Co. Boilers by Clarke, Chapman and Co and Babcock and Wilcox. Pulverised fuel.[3] Merz and McLellan were the consulting engineers. The design of the building was novel, enclosing the machinery in a steel frame clad with glass. This was a departure from the usual power station designs at the time, which normally enclosed the machinery in a concrete or brick wall.
1931 Description of the new 50 MW turbine generators. See photos.[4]
1933 Dunston 'B' station opened
WWII delayed the completion of the station.
1951 Full completion was finally achieved.
In its time, Dunston B Power Station ranked consistently in England's leading stations, both in terms of thermal efficiency and cost per unit of electricity.
1975 However, the station eventually became outdated, and notification of its partial closure was given in October 1975, with some units being closed the following October. It was then only used as a stand-by station, operating only at peak electrical demand times.
1981 Finally the station ceased to generate electricity on 26 October 1981. At the time of closure, only 98 MW of the station's capacity was in use.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times Apr. 8, 1908
- ↑ The Times June 26, 1929
- ↑ Engineering 1930/10/31
- ↑ Engineering 1931/11/20
- [1] Everything Explained