D
Dragon_Urbex
Guest
Guest
Barely a week after @Landie_Man and I went up to Fiddler's Ferry in Cheshire, I was off to another power station again! Can't get enough of these beauties, they are truly something else.
Short History:
Aberthaw B Power Station is a decommissioned coal fired power station, near Barry in South Wales. There have been two power stations on the site, Breaksea Point, bot only the B Station survives. Aberthaw A was built between 1957 ad 1963 and commissioned that year; it had six boilers that fed six 100MW turbo-generator sets, feeding a total of 600MW to the National Grid. Aberthaw A was decommissioned in 1995 and subsequently demolished. The switch house of the A side still survives to this day and is in use. Aberthaw B, the surviving and much grander big sister to the A side, was begun in 1967 and commissioned in 1971. The B Station comprises of three units, with three Foster-Wheeler boilers and three Associated Electric Industries turbo-generator sets. Each generator outputted 500MW, which meant the B Station generated 1,500MW of electricity. Three open cycle gas turbines were also built and these outputted 20MW each, bringing the B Station’s capacity to 1,560MW in total.
The power station was built during the time of the chairmanship of Sir Christopher Hinton, who was the main driving force behind the 500MW generator sets for power stations – these were highly powerful and efficient for their time and were subsequently known as “Hinton Heavies”. Aberthaw B had flue gas desulphurisation installed between 2006 and 2008 to comply with the EU’s (rather murderous to UK only power stations…) Large Combustion Plant Directive, which brought the station’s sulphur emissions down by 90%. This was because Welsh coal, which comprised of up to 70% of Aberthaw’s fuel, has a high sulphur content and releases more when combusted.
Aberthaw B Power Station ceased generating on the 20th of December 2019, and officially closed on the 31st of March 2020, the same day as Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station near Widnes in Cheshire. Since then, the site has lain dormant and derelict, gathering dust.
Exteriors:
1) Looking up at the boiler house.
2) Looking up at the 550ft chimney.
Interior Shots:
3) The coal mills. These were not as photogenic as Fiddler's Ferry, as these are roller type mills.
4) The high pressure heaters for Unit 7. These are right beside the turbine, within the coal and bunker bay.
5) Unit 7 in all its glory. Aberthaw, like Didcot, Fawley, Rugeley, Cottam etc, has its condensers situated directly adjacent to the turbine casing. It makes for a huge photogenic block.
6) Looking at Unit 7, whilst standing on the high pressure section of Unit 8.
7) The exciter for Unit 7.
8) Looking north down the turbine hall.
9) The electrics panel for Unit 7.
10) Dial porn. I love the design of these.
11) Unit 9 - this was deconstructed shortly after decommissioning, for the high pressure section to be sent to RWE's Ferrybridge A maintenance workshop for testing for potential auction.
12) Looking down into the workings of the turbine.
13) The enormous turbine blades!
14) This is something that likely nobody has ever seen on here - the inside of a condenser! Cold water was passed through these to cool superheated steam in those tubes back to water.
15) Looking down the vast and open coal and bunker bay.
16) One of the small gantry cranes within the coal and bunker bay.
17) Looking south down the turbine hall.
18) Aaannnddd looking north up the turbine hall!
19) Unit 9 boiler face.
20) One of the air intakes for Unit 9.
21) The three units' steam drums, within the top of the coal and bunker bay.
22) And also the de-aerators. These were absolutely enormous, far bigger than those at Fiddler's Ferry or Eggborough.
Control Room:
23) Showing the lovely oculus within the concrete dome.
24) Sadly, it was modernised with the APMS, with the original CUTLASS systems disposed of. However, still a control room at the end of the day.
25) The atomic energy symbol is a relic of filming of the two part Doctor Who series spinoff the Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Sky" which was filmed in 2010. Childhood nostalgia right there.
26) The switchboard right next to the control room.
The Chimney:
27) The three gigantic flue tops on the very top. This was a bloody slog to get up but I managed it... somehow. I must have lost weight doing it.
28) Looking down at the open cycle gas turbine building. The fact it's built wonkily sets my OCD off...
29) Looking over towards the security hut and the ash dump.
30) And my final shot to conclude this report: looking down at the old girl from above.
Thanks for readin'!
Short History:
Aberthaw B Power Station is a decommissioned coal fired power station, near Barry in South Wales. There have been two power stations on the site, Breaksea Point, bot only the B Station survives. Aberthaw A was built between 1957 ad 1963 and commissioned that year; it had six boilers that fed six 100MW turbo-generator sets, feeding a total of 600MW to the National Grid. Aberthaw A was decommissioned in 1995 and subsequently demolished. The switch house of the A side still survives to this day and is in use. Aberthaw B, the surviving and much grander big sister to the A side, was begun in 1967 and commissioned in 1971. The B Station comprises of three units, with three Foster-Wheeler boilers and three Associated Electric Industries turbo-generator sets. Each generator outputted 500MW, which meant the B Station generated 1,500MW of electricity. Three open cycle gas turbines were also built and these outputted 20MW each, bringing the B Station’s capacity to 1,560MW in total.
The power station was built during the time of the chairmanship of Sir Christopher Hinton, who was the main driving force behind the 500MW generator sets for power stations – these were highly powerful and efficient for their time and were subsequently known as “Hinton Heavies”. Aberthaw B had flue gas desulphurisation installed between 2006 and 2008 to comply with the EU’s (rather murderous to UK only power stations…) Large Combustion Plant Directive, which brought the station’s sulphur emissions down by 90%. This was because Welsh coal, which comprised of up to 70% of Aberthaw’s fuel, has a high sulphur content and releases more when combusted.
Aberthaw B Power Station ceased generating on the 20th of December 2019, and officially closed on the 31st of March 2020, the same day as Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station near Widnes in Cheshire. Since then, the site has lain dormant and derelict, gathering dust.
Exteriors:
1) Looking up at the boiler house.
2) Looking up at the 550ft chimney.
Interior Shots:
3) The coal mills. These were not as photogenic as Fiddler's Ferry, as these are roller type mills.
4) The high pressure heaters for Unit 7. These are right beside the turbine, within the coal and bunker bay.
5) Unit 7 in all its glory. Aberthaw, like Didcot, Fawley, Rugeley, Cottam etc, has its condensers situated directly adjacent to the turbine casing. It makes for a huge photogenic block.
6) Looking at Unit 7, whilst standing on the high pressure section of Unit 8.
7) The exciter for Unit 7.
8) Looking north down the turbine hall.
9) The electrics panel for Unit 7.
10) Dial porn. I love the design of these.
11) Unit 9 - this was deconstructed shortly after decommissioning, for the high pressure section to be sent to RWE's Ferrybridge A maintenance workshop for testing for potential auction.
12) Looking down into the workings of the turbine.
13) The enormous turbine blades!
14) This is something that likely nobody has ever seen on here - the inside of a condenser! Cold water was passed through these to cool superheated steam in those tubes back to water.
15) Looking down the vast and open coal and bunker bay.
16) One of the small gantry cranes within the coal and bunker bay.
17) Looking south down the turbine hall.
18) Aaannnddd looking north up the turbine hall!
19) Unit 9 boiler face.
20) One of the air intakes for Unit 9.
21) The three units' steam drums, within the top of the coal and bunker bay.
22) And also the de-aerators. These were absolutely enormous, far bigger than those at Fiddler's Ferry or Eggborough.
Control Room:
23) Showing the lovely oculus within the concrete dome.
24) Sadly, it was modernised with the APMS, with the original CUTLASS systems disposed of. However, still a control room at the end of the day.
25) The atomic energy symbol is a relic of filming of the two part Doctor Who series spinoff the Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Sky" which was filmed in 2010. Childhood nostalgia right there.
26) The switchboard right next to the control room.
The Chimney:
27) The three gigantic flue tops on the very top. This was a bloody slog to get up but I managed it... somehow. I must have lost weight doing it.
28) Looking down at the open cycle gas turbine building. The fact it's built wonkily sets my OCD off...
29) Looking over towards the security hut and the ash dump.
30) And my final shot to conclude this report: looking down at the old girl from above.
Thanks for readin'!
