Wimbledon power station

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Wimbledon power station
CountryEngland
LocationWimbledon, London
Coordinates51°25′52″N 00°11′33″W / 51.43111°N 0.19250°W / 51.43111; -0.19250Coordinates: 51°25′52″N 00°11′33″W / 51.43111°N 0.19250°W / 51.43111; -0.19250
StatusDecommissioned
Construction began1897
Commission date1899
Decommission date1968
Owner(s)Wimbledon Corporation
(1897–1933)
London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority
(1933–1948)
British Electricity Authority
(1948–1955)
Central Electricity Authority
(1955–1957)
Central Electricity Generating Board
(1958–1968)
Operator(s)As operator
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Turbine technologySteam turbines
Cooling sourceRiver water
Power generation
Units operational1 x 1 MW, 1 x 1.5 MW, 4 x 3.75 MW, 1 x 7.5 MW = 25.2 MW (total)
Make and modelBritish Thomson-Houston, Metropolitan Vickers, Parsons
Nameplate capacity25.2 MW
Annual net output17,509 MWh (1946)
[edit on Wikidata]

Wimbledon power station supplied electricity to the Borough of Wimbledon and the surrounding area from 1899 to 1968. The power station was developed by the Wimbledon Corporation which operated it up to 1933. The London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority operated the station from 1933 until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped by the owners several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.

History[]

Wimbledon Corporation applied in 1897 for a Provisional Order under the Electric Lighting Acts to generate and supply electricity to Borough of Wimbledon. An Order was granted by the Board of Trade and was confirmed by Parliament through the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 2) Act 1897 (60 & 61 Vict. c. lxii).[1] The power station was built in Durnsford Road, Wimbledon (51°25’52”N, 0°11’33”W)[2] and was commissioned in 1899.[3] Further Provisional Orders were granted in 1903 and 1911.

During the general strike in 1926 113 employees of the Wimbledon electricity undertaking went on strike. Seven of the leaders were refused re-employment, whereas the 60 staff who had not gone on strike were rewarded with a bonus of £368.[4]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6 c. 54).[5] The Wimbledon electricity undertaking and London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority were abolished, ownership of Wimbledon power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[6] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the Wimbledon electricity undertaking were transferred to the London Electricity Board (LEB).

Wimbledon power station was closed in 1968.[7]

Equipment specification[]

Plant in 1923[]

By 1923 the plant comprised boilers delivering 161,000 lb/h (20.3 kg/s) of steam to:[8]

2 × 350 kW reciprocating engines driving alternating current (AC) alternators

1 × 625 kW reciprocating engine AC alternator

2 × 1,000 kW steam turbo-alternators (AC)

1 × 1,500 kW steam turbo-alternator (AC)

These machines had a total generating capacity of 4,825 kW.

Electricity supply to consumers was single phase, 50 Hz, 220 Volt.[8]

Plant in 1954[]

By 1954 the plant comprised:[9]

  • Boilers:
    • 2 × Babcock & Wilcox 60,000 lb/h (7.56 kg/s) chain grate stoker boilers
    • 2 × Spearing 26,000 lb/h (3.28 kg/s) boilers
    • 1 × Spearing 50,000 lb/h (6.3 kg/s) boiler

Total evaporative capacity 222,000 lb/h (27.97 kg/s)), steam conditions were 250 psi and 600 °F and 700 °F (17.2 bar and 316 °C and 371 °C), steam was supplied to:

  • Generators:
    • 1 × 1.0 MW British Thomson-Houston – Curtis turbo-alternator
    • 1 × 1.5 MW British Thomson-Houston – Curtis turbo-alternator
    • 4 × 3.75 MW Metropolitan Vickers turbo-alternators, single phase
    • 1 × 7.5 MW Parsons turbo-alternator, 2-phase (installed 1930)

The total generating capacity was 25.2 MW with an output capacity of 18 MW.

Condenser water was taken from the River Wandle.[9]

Operations[]

Operating data 1912–20[]

Wimbledon operating data 1912–3.[10][11]

Year Capacity of plant, MW Maximum load, MW Electricity sold, MWh No. of customers
1912 3.325 1.70 2,903 5,589
1920 4.825 1.988 3,310 7,805

Operating data 1921–23[]

The electricity supply data for the period 1921–23 was:[8]

Wimbledon power station supply data 1921–23
Electricity Use Units Year
1921 1922 1923
Lighting and domestic MWh 1,873 2,023 2,799
Public lighting MWh 447 403 436
Traction MWh 0 0 0
Power MWh 1,694 1,852 2,922
Bulk supply MWh 0 0 0
Total use MWh 4,013 4,278 6,157

Electricity Loads on the system were:

Year 1921 1922 1923
Maximum load kW 2,501 2,725 3,600
Total connections kW 13,955 15,369 17,168
Load factor Per cent 25.5 24.4 244.9

Revenue from the sale of current (in 1923) was £96,316; the surplus of revenue over expenses was £52,963.[8]

Operating data 1934–37[]

Wimbledon operating data 1934–37, this includes electricity purchased from the national grid.[12]

Year Electricity sold, MWh
1934 43,609
1935 47,357
1936 60,042
1937 68,852

Operating data 1946[]

In 1946 Wimbledon power station supplied 17,509 MWh of electricity; the maximum output load was 18,080 kW. The load factor was 11.1%, and the thermal efficiency was 10.94%.[13]

Operating data 1954–67[]

Operating data for the period 1954–67 was:[9][14]

Wimbledon power station operating data, 1954–67
Year Running hours or load factor (per cent) Max output capacity  MW Electricity supplied MWh Thermal efficiency per cent
1954 511 18 2,697 6.80
1955 724 18 6,209 9.64
1956 1039 18 7,984 10.49
1957 336 18 1,978 8.79
1958 623 18 4,533 10.59
1961 2.0 % 18 3,131 9.52
1962 2.7 % 18 4,189 10.24
1963 6.06 % 18 9,550 12.01
1966 3.6 % 18 5,716 9.31
1967 2.1 % 10 2,380 6.94

Th electricity sold by Wimbledon power station in MWh was as shown:

Railway power station[]

In addition to the statutory public-supply Wimbledon power station, the Southern Railway constructed an electricity generating station at Wimbledon to supply traction current for the railway. This private supply power station was built in Durnsford Road. In 1957 it comprised 20 chain-grate boilers with a total evaporative capacity of 430,000 lb/hr (54 kg/s).[15] These supplied steam to:

  • 4 × 12.5 MW generators
  • 2 × 5.0 MW generators
  • 2 × 0.4 MW generators

Giving a total capacity of 60.8 MW.

Cooling water was abstracted from the River Wandle and cooled by five wooden cooling towers. The circulating capacity was 1,333,600 gallons per hour (1.68 m3/s).[13]

In 1946 the station generated 158,441 MWh of electricity. The maximum load was 45.2 MW, the load factor was 40 percent and the thermal efficiency was 18.7 percent.[13]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Local Acts 1897". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey 25-inch, Surrey VII.11 (Wandsworth Borough; Wimbledon St Mary), revised 1933 to 1934, published 1935
  3. ^ Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son. p. 341.
  4. ^ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 272–3. ISBN 0333220862.
  5. ^ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 60–61. ISBN 085188105X.
  7. ^ Horne, Mike. "London power stations" (PDF). metadyne. Retrieved 19 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b c d Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 102–05, 332–37.
  9. ^ a b c Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-108 A-138.
  10. ^ London County Council (1915). London Statistics 1913-14 vol. 24. London: LCC. p. 547.
  11. ^ London County Council (1922). London Statistics 1920-21 vol. 27. London: LCC. p. 288.
  12. ^ London County Council (1939). London Statistics 1936-38 vol. 41. London: London County Council. p. 382.
  13. ^ a b c Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. pp. 15 & 20.
  14. ^ CEGB Annual Report 1961–63, CEGB Statistical Yearbook 1966, 1967
  15. ^ Electrical Journal (1957). Electricity Undertakings of the World. London: Benn Brothers. pp. 242–3.
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