Evening Guys,
Today Gigi and I embarked on a last minute adventure to NGTE Pyestock, as our plans to visit West Park fell through. This was my first time here, and after today’s experience I hope it won’t be my last. The highlight of the explore was bumping into some other fellow urbexers, just as I was doing a page3 shot,
The quality of the photos aren't as good as I hoped, but this was almost certainly down to a shite photographer and a bellow average tripod!
History
NGTE (National Gas Turbine Establishment) was original a secret site designed to test gas turbines, or as we know them ‘jet engines’. “V” bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were also tested here in the various ‘cells’ of the plant. In order to simulate the conditions of a jet engine in the air and in use at say Mach 2, the test cells could be supplied with highly compressed air supplied by one of the 8 massive GEC compressors in the ‘air plant’. This plant was also able to expand air, creating a vacuum for exhaust gases in the test cells.
Each of the compressors featured a 8,000hp steam turbine at one end used as a starter, three compressors (2no low pressure and 1no high pressure) with a 36,000hp synchronous motor (the red thing) at the end. Total power input for one of the compressor sets: 44,000hp, the most powerful in Europe.
Jet engines for the Navy were harshly tested to their limits here, and soviet engines were tested in an attempt to ‘reverse engineer’ them.
Pyestock began winding down as the technology behind jet engines became more understood, and computer simulations were able to test new designs without hugely expensive test cell.
Today
Pyestock closed in 2000, and is now awaiting conversion into a business park.
The 8 compressors in the air plant.
All 8 compressor sets from above, each set of compressors comprises of; from left to right:
8,000hp steam turbine, 2no LP compressors, 1no HP compressor, 34,000hp motor and exciter.
Steam supply pipe for the turbines
Group shot in one of the cooling ducts
Top pipe: cooling air supply, lower pipe: engine exhaust
split cooling air supply pipes to cell 4
Access hatch into test cell 4
Cell 4
Test cell 4
Regards,
Today Gigi and I embarked on a last minute adventure to NGTE Pyestock, as our plans to visit West Park fell through. This was my first time here, and after today’s experience I hope it won’t be my last. The highlight of the explore was bumping into some other fellow urbexers, just as I was doing a page3 shot,
The quality of the photos aren't as good as I hoped, but this was almost certainly down to a shite photographer and a bellow average tripod!
History
NGTE (National Gas Turbine Establishment) was original a secret site designed to test gas turbines, or as we know them ‘jet engines’. “V” bomber, Harrier and Tornado engines were also tested here in the various ‘cells’ of the plant. In order to simulate the conditions of a jet engine in the air and in use at say Mach 2, the test cells could be supplied with highly compressed air supplied by one of the 8 massive GEC compressors in the ‘air plant’. This plant was also able to expand air, creating a vacuum for exhaust gases in the test cells.
Each of the compressors featured a 8,000hp steam turbine at one end used as a starter, three compressors (2no low pressure and 1no high pressure) with a 36,000hp synchronous motor (the red thing) at the end. Total power input for one of the compressor sets: 44,000hp, the most powerful in Europe.
Jet engines for the Navy were harshly tested to their limits here, and soviet engines were tested in an attempt to ‘reverse engineer’ them.
Pyestock began winding down as the technology behind jet engines became more understood, and computer simulations were able to test new designs without hugely expensive test cell.
Today
Pyestock closed in 2000, and is now awaiting conversion into a business park.
The 8 compressors in the air plant.
All 8 compressor sets from above, each set of compressors comprises of; from left to right:
8,000hp steam turbine, 2no LP compressors, 1no HP compressor, 34,000hp motor and exciter.
Steam supply pipe for the turbines
Group shot in one of the cooling ducts
Top pipe: cooling air supply, lower pipe: engine exhaust
split cooling air supply pipes to cell 4
Access hatch into test cell 4
Cell 4
Test cell 4
Regards,
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