real time web analytics
Report - - HF4 Power Plant, Belgium - January 2016 | European and International Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - HF4 Power Plant, Belgium - January 2016

Hide this ad by donating or subscribing !

Exploring with Andy

Behind Closed Doors
Staff member
Moderator
We had visited the HF4 blast furnace last year but like everyone else at the time we missed the power station. Fast forward to 2016, @SpiderMonkey and I gave ourselves just a couple of days to plan a last-minute trip to visit some of Europe’s power stations and we remembered how much like a power station this little building looked. Closer examination on a map got our hopes up so we headed back to the site to have a look around. The turbines had been covered with enclosures, hiding them away which was a shame but the little power station was good to visit. It’s amazing what you can find when you have a quick look!

hf4-power-plant-37b44c2.jpg

1. The power plant and blast furnace​

History of the HF4 Power Plant
The power station is an integral part of the HF4 Blast Furnace site in Belgium. Steel making requires a lot of power, so many sites have their own power station to meet this demand. The plant at HF4 contains two turbines, but does not have its own boiler house. Steam was provided from a near-by power station at Monceau-sur-Sambre (often called Power Plant IM) via a huge pipeline connecting the two sites. A stand-by diesel generator is also housed in the turbine hall. The blast furnace was mothballed in 2008 and the power station was closed down shortly after in 2009.

There were a large number of local control panels, but we were unable to find a control room; presumably the plant was centrally controlled from the remote plant where the steam was produced.

hf4-power-plant-29b8bd.jpg

2. The turbines were inside enclosures

hf4-power-plant-1f1eac.jpg

3. Turbine inside enclosure

hf4-power-plant-6847cc.jpg

4. Maag turbine gear

hf4-power-plant-55a8d6.jpg

5. Enclosure

hf4-power-plant-752512.jpg

6. Turbine hall

hf4-power-plant-218813b.jpg

7. Generator and control panel

hf4-power-plant-102e53a.jpg

8. Generator and enclosed turbine

hf4-power-plant-4d505e.jpg

9. Stand-by diesel generator

hf4-power-plant-3fc953.jpg

10. Diesel generator pipes

hf4-power-plant-15aaf63.jpg

11. Turbine hall overview

hf4-power-plant-1187734.jpg

12. Office

hf4-power-plant-12a7458.jpg

13. Locker room

hf4-power-plant-1700511.jpg

14. High voltage switchroom

hf4-power-plant-16d2c74.jpg

15. High voltage switchgear

hf4-power-plant-877cfc.jpg

16. Local control panels

hf4-power-plant-998f5a.jpg

17. Control deck

hf4-power-plant-18977d4.jpg

18. More local panels

hf4-power-plant-19bc459.jpg

19. Pipes and panels​
 
Top