PADIHAM POWER STATION. MIKE CLARKE'S INFORMATION

[Stanley]

PADIHAM POWER STATION.

Mike Clarke’s material.

I have usually been able to open text files from within Word, but have copied and pasted the files for you.

Regards.

Chronology 1
1800 Volta discovers the electric cell using copper and zinc electrodes.
1802 Humphry Davy notes the arc light effect between carbon pieces.
c1820 A.M.Ampère establishes the relationship between the strength of a magnetic field and the current produced.
24 Nov 1831, demonstration of electromagnetic induction by Michael Faraday to the Royal Society.
He discovers that electricity can be generated by moving a magnet through a coil of wire.
1866 Leclanché cell or dry battery discovered.
Principal of the self exciting generator established.
1870s Armature design evolves to allow continuous electricity generation using steam engines.
1875 From this date the arc light starts being used for illumination in theatres, railway stations, shops etc., particularly in France.
1878 In November a 12HP Siemens patent engine was brought for demonstration in Burnley by Mr.Provis of Manchester. It lit three lights of 8000 candle power which illuminated the cricket field where a game of football was played under the lights.
Lead acid battery demonstrated and widely adopted during the following ten years.
1879 Edison and Swan independently invent the incandescent light.
1881 First public supply of electricity in Godalming.
1882 Electric Lighting Act, allows local authorities to compulsorily purchase after 21 years.
1883 Grosvenor Gallery, later the London Electricity Supply Corp, starts supplying esurplus electricity to customers.
1884 Parsons patents the steam turbine, with a turbo generator operating at 18,000 rpm working in the same year.
1888 Electric Lighting Act, extends period before compusory purchase possible to 42 years.
Parsons installs his first turbo-alternator set at the Forth Banks Power Station. Operated at 4,800 rpm, capacity 75kW.
One business already light by electricity in Burnley.
Hapton streets illuminated by electricity from August. Joseph F. Simpson, a local man, who was an electrician with Edison & Co. in Manchester, installed a dynamo in his familys Perseverance Mills. It was a modified Kapp machine, driven by a 6HP steam engine which also powered the winding, taping and sizing machinery. The firm already supplied gas to the village, but extending gas lighting in the streets was considered too expensive. Instead seven 50 candle power electric lights were erected. Three were over the centre of Bridge Street where previous gas lights had only been of 18 candle power. Others were proposed for side streets, the Conservative Club and the mills warehouse. Swans incandescent lights, with enamelled iron reflectors, were used, and they were light from dusk until 9-45.
1889 Deptford Power Station opened. Designed by Ferranti, it was the first AC station, with four 10,000HP steam engines driving alternators working at 10,000 volts. There were also two 1,250 HP engines driving 5,000 volt alternators.
1891 Condensing fitted to steam turbine which dramatically improves efficiency.
1898 Cross Committee recommends the setting up of private power companies.
1899 Parsons makes the first tandem-cylinder turbines - turbo alternators generating 1,000kW each - for the German town of Elberfeld.
1909 Electric Lighting Act, allows compulsory purchase of land for power stations.
1916 Transmission line installed between Acc rington and Rawtenstall, each of those power staions providing half of Haslingdens needs. The two concerns work together, varying the % of the supply as operating conditions at the stations change.
1919 Electricity (Supply) Act. Commissioners set up for promoting, regulating and supervising the supply of electricity. Given no compulsory powers.
1925 Little progress with main transmission lines. In Burnley 2 miles of 33000volt laid between Burnley and Rose Grove. Nothing done in Accrington on the Blackburn to Burnley link, but an 11000volt line contemplated to the new LEP station at Padiham.
Mar 31, by this date two 6000kW turbo alternator sets had been ordered for Padiham. The sidings had almost been completed and work had commenced on the foundations.
1926 Electricity (Supply) Act. Central Electricity Board established to control the output of the best and most efficient stations and to set up a grid. Frequencies to be standardised and local authorities supplied from the grid. Encourages companies to supply rural districts.
Mar 31. At Padiham all the buildings had been roofed, both turbo alternators had been tested at the works are were being delivered and erected, the first two boilers were erected and being bricked in, the swithchgear was progressing, the dam across the river completed, the cooling towers would soon be completed, the coal and ash plant would be finished by June, and preliminary tests should be underway by July or early August.
1927 Jan 27. Padiham was brought into regular use. A 33000volt main had been installed between Padiham and Lancashire Electric Powers station at Radcliffe.
March. A further 12,500kW turbo alternator set sanctioned, installed by 1929.
1929 Burnley to supply Briercliffe.
Colne to supply Trawden.
1930 Nelson to supply Earby and Barnoldswick.
1935/6 McGowen Committee sits, but recommendations not implemented until after the war.
1940 Padiham power station supplies part of the following loads; Padiham (7600kW), Burnley (20,500kW) and Nelson & Colne (11,800kW). Two more 12,500kW turbo alternators proposed to help this supply. 70 million units generated each year at 20% load factor.
1947 Electricity Act. Sets up the British Electricity Authority, later called the Central Electricity Authority, under the control of the Minister of Fuel and Power. It was to promote economical methods of generation, transmission and distribution and to cheapen supplies to rural areas. They were to standardise the system of supply and electrical fittings. The Central Authority was divided into eleven divisions, and there were twlve Area Boards.
1971 Oil firing proposed for No.2 boiler, with conversion delayed from 1972 till 1974. Corrosion on gas side will not be too great until 1974. Test lengths of 12% Cr steel to be installed in No.2 boiler to check for gas side corrosion in superheater and reheater sections.
1974 No.1 unit converted to fire residual oil. Boilers have run 5966 hrs with four tube failures at a loss of 392 hrs. Other losses amount to 577 hrs.
1978 No.1 unit, tubes replaced.

ACCRINGTON
1923 3ph AC 50hz 6600 volts generation, also DC sold at 460 & 230 volts, DC traction at 550 volts.
AC equipment - 3 gas powered 700Kw generators, 3 turbo generators at 2000, 5000 & 6000Kw. The latter upgraded by 1925 to 2400, 6000 & 7200Kw. By 1930 another 7500Kw had been added.
DC equipment - 1 gas powered 700 Kw generator. Out of use by 1925.

BURNLEY
1923 3ph AC 50hz 6600 volts, also DC at 460 volts sold at 440 &220 volts, DC traction 530/565 volts.
AC equipment - 2 turbo generators, 3000 & 2000Kw.
DC equipment - 1 turbo generator 1500Kw, 3 reciprocating at 250, 500 &750Kw.

COLNE
1923 3ph AC 50 hz 6600 volts sold at 400 & 230 volts, also DC at 500 volts sold at 480 & 240 volts.
AC equipment - 1 turbo generator, 2000Kw, out of use by 1931.
DC equipment - 3 reciprocating at 160, 350 & 360Kw, the first out of use by 1931.

NELSON
1923 3ph AC 50hz 6600 volts sold at 400 & 230 volts, DC sold at 460 & 230 volts DCtraction at 500 volts.
AC equipment - 2 turbo generators 3000Kw, an extra 3750Kw generator by 1925.
DC equipment - 1 reciprocating 400Kw, 2 oil driven 135Kw and 1 oil driven at 230Kw, all out of service by 1925.

Chronology 2
1893 26 Aug Burnleys 200 kW Power station commences public supply. The official opening was in September nine months after the 43 kW station in Nelson opened.
1895 18 Feb Blackburns Jubilee Street Power Station opens.
1900 9 Nov Accringtons Power Station opens.
1902 25 Sept Colnes Power Station opens.
1905 August Lancashire Electric Power Company open their Radcliffe Power Station.
1921 October Blackburn East (Whitebirk) Power Station opens.
1924 23 May Inquiry comes out in favour of L.E.P.s proposal to build Padiham A.
25 July Padiham A, formal consent granted for 12,000 kW station to be built by Lancashire Electric Power Company.
L.E.P.Co.s Chief Engineer and Manager was C.D.Taite.
1925 Mar 31 The two 6000kW turbo alternator sets had been ordered for Padiham A. The sidings had almost been completed and work had commenced on the foundations.
1926 Mar 31 Padiham A, all the buildings had been roofed, both turbo alternators had been tested at the works were being delivered and erected, the first two boilers were erected and being bricked in, the swithchgear was progressing, the dam across the river completed, the cooling towers would soon be completed, the coal and ash plant would be finished by June, and preliminary tests should be underway by July or early August.
1927 24 Jan Padiham A was brought into regular use. An 11,000 volt main had previously been installed to Accringtons Power Station. The 33,000 volt main was opened between Padiham and Lancashire Electric Powers station at Radcliffe.
March. A further 12,500kW turbo alternator set sanctioned; it was installed by 1929. The sets were subsequently rated at 7,500 kW and 15, 625 kW.
1942/3 Two more boilers installed in the A Station.
1946 M.H.Adams appointed Chief Engineer and Manager of L.E.P.
1947 Electricity Act setting up the British Electricity Authority which takes over Lancashire Electrical Power Company.
H.H.Wall appointed Station Manager.
1952 W.Blythe appointed Station Manager when H.H.Wall moves to the newly opened Huncoat Station.
1957 June 240 MW Padiham B authorised.
1960 Alan Parker appointed Station Manager.
1961 30 Dec No.1 Unit first synchronised.
1962 4 March No.1 Unit officially commissioned.
13 April No.1 Unit provisionally available for 120 MW generation.
8 Aug Sabotage considered as possible reason for units teething troubles.
14 Aug No.1 Unit recommissioned and synchronised after modifications.
5 Nov No.2 Unit first synchronised.
22 Nov No.2 Unit officially commissioned.
1964 Dec Site tests for proposed Padiham C.
1965 Feb Acceptance tests for both turbo-alternators.
April No.1 boiler, first acceptance tests.
1967 Dec Second acceptance tests for No.1 boiler.
1968 W.B. (Bill) Harling appointed Station Manager.
1969 February A Station closes.
1971 August Second acceptance tests for No.1 turbo-alternator.
Oil firing proposed for No.2 boiler.
1972 Feb Miners strike.
1974 R.S. (Bob) Neish appointed Station Manager.
Mar - Dec No.1 unit converted to fire residual oil followed by acceptance tests.
1975 Because of employee George Shaws illness, station staff collect enough money to purchase a mobile dialysis machine.
1978 Price of oil begins to rise.
1980 Padiham wins Regional Good Housekeeping Award.
Petrocoke used for the first time.
16 June No.1 Unit declared cold. Seven days notice required for generation.
1981 J.T. (Tom) Simpson appointed Station Manager.
1982 90 ton weighbridge from Torness installed.
20 April Visit to station by Burnleys Councillors and Chief Officer.
8 July Visit to station by Hyndburns Councillors and Chief Officer.
1983 Feb Coal Oil Dispersion 5000 ton test.
29 March Visit to station by Burnleys Mayor and Mayoress with local JPs.
1984 17 Feb New transformer installed.
12 May Station Open Day.
October Total units generated reaches 15 million MWhrs.
Oct - Nov Miners strike.
No.2 Unit achieves 100,000 hours run.
1986 Peter Wilkinson appointed Station Manager.
1990 Padihams Visitor Centre opened.
1991 9 March Last time No.1 Unit on load.
1993 31 March Last delivery of coal.
September Padiham B ceases generation.

Introduction
Introduction

Exactly one hundred years ago, in September 1893, contractors handed over a new electricity generating station to Burnley Corporation. Colne had opened their station a year earlier, but it was a small unit which used waste heat from the gas works. The station at Burnley was much larger, with four times the generating capacity and had its own Lancashire boilers. It can thus be said to symbolise the inauguration of electrical generation in East Lancashire.

Electrical phenomena had been observed by scientists for centuries, but it was only during the nineteenth century that useful applications began to be developed. In 1800 an Italian called Volta discovered that an electric cell was created when copper and zinc plates were immersed in brine. Two years later Humphry Davy noted that a bright light was created by sparking between two pieces of carbon held close to each other, later developed as the arc light.

By the 1820s the theory of electrical generation was established when Ampère showed the relationship between the strength of a magnetic field around a wire and the current passing through it. Faraday translated theory into practice in 1831 when he made a wire carrying electric current circle around a fixed magnet. Although purely an experiment, he had demonstrated a means of converting mechanical into electrical power and vice versa thus laying the foundation of the electricity generation industry.

Early electrical researchers were accustomed to d.c. current from batteries, so they found the alternating current produced by rotating generators a problem. This was overcome by Ampère when he designed the commutator, though the generated current still varied considerably until the rotor was fitted with a number of coils to form an armature. Batteries continued to be used for exciting the electro-magnets around the armature until the 1860s when C.F.Varley showed that there was sufficient residual magnetism in the electro-magnets to provide for self excitation.

Early generators were extremely inefficient, with much energy being lost as heat due to poor armature design. The Gramme dynamo, which used a ring armature, was introduced in 1870 to reduce power loss, the diameter of the ring being proportional to the power of the dynamo, limiting the speed of large machines. Instead Siemens produced the drum armature which was much smaller in diameter and could thus run at higher speeds. This was then improved by Ferranti who designed an armature wound with a continuous length of wire, further reducing losses.

By 1880 d.c. power generation was fairly well established, with arc lights being used in theatres, shops and railway stations. Blackpool had even had electrical illuminations by then, having undertaken a three month trial of arc lights, powered by six Siemens dynamos driven from two portable steam engines, in 1879. Around the same time, Edison and Swan had, independently, devised the incandescent lamp. Technology was now in place for commercial generation and use of electricity, and in England the first public supply, powered by a water wheel, was provided in Godalming in 1881.

Parliament now began to take notice of developments, and the first Electric Lighting Act was passed in 1882. This allowed the Board of Trade to supply a licence or Provisional Order to any local authority, company or person permitting them to supply electricity within a certain area. It was expected that local authorities would eventually control supplies, and they were given the right to take over from companies as supplier at the end of 21 years. This discouraged private companies from being set up, though in London, the Grosvenor Gallery, started selling surplus electricity in 1883, the business eventually becoming the London Electricity Supply Corporation.

The 1882 Act proved to be too restrictive, and it was amended in 1888, the length of time before a local authority could take over being extended to 42 years. This second Act also permitted competition in an area. The reason for this can be found in Parliaments failure to lay down standards for transmission. Until the end of the 1880s most supplies were d.c. which could not be transmitted over large distances. Consequently most suppliers were independent of each other, generating at their own voltage. However a.c. generation was now being introduced because of the ease of changing voltage using transformers and because it could be transmitted over large distances without large power losses. By allowing competition it was hoped that people would have the choice between a.c and d.c. supplies, but in the long run it only resulted in a large number of systems with conflicting voltages across the country.

The first a.c. station was designed by Ferranti and opened at Deptford in 1889. The four 10,000 hp steam engines which drove alternators working at 10,000 volts were already becoming obsolete even before they were installed. Parsons had patented the steam turbine in 1884, and by adding a condenser to the design in 1891 he had produced a high speed power source efficient enough for electricity generation. Tandem cylinder turbines followed, Parsons installing the first of these, linked to a 1000 kW alternator, in the German town of Elberfield.

The adoption of the a.c. system was making legislation dated, so the Cross Committee was set up in 1898 to review developments. They recommended that companies, not subject to purchase by local authorities, should be set up to provide power over large areas. However these areas often excluded the large municipal districts where demand would have been highest. One of the companies set up at this time was the Lancashire Electric Power Company which, in 1900, was granted permission to supply the more rural districts in Lancashire south of the Ribble. They were also allowed to supply municipal authorities with bulk supplies as it was expected that their large stations would be able to generate far more efficiently than the smaller local authority ones. However Parliament had misjudged the independent nature of local authorities who were loathed to relinquish control of electricity generation and supply.

The 1909 Electric Lighting Act conferred minor alterations, such as the permission for undertakers to supply each other as required, and for the compulsory purchase of land for power stations. Further changes to the electricity supply industry had to wait until after the 1st World War and the 1919 Electricity (Supply) Act. This created the Electricity Commissioners who were to co-ordinate the generation and transmission of electricity throughout the country. The Bill, as first presented to Parliament, wanted all generating stations and main transmission lines to be transferred to District Authorities who would then be responsible to the Commissioners. Instead, when the Act was passed District Boards were formed and only given advisory powers, the generation and transmission of electricity being left in the hands of those already responsible, the local authorities and the power companies.

Joint Electrical Authorities to control the electricity supply of an area were allowed, but consent of all parties had to be obtained. A Mid-Lancashire Joint Authority was suggested, in 1923, by Blackburn and Preston but this was opposed by the other local authorities. Instead the Mid-Lancashire Advisory Board was formed. It had limited advisory powers and was expected to control developments proposed by the Electricity Commissioners one of whose suggestions was a power station at Padiham.

At this time East Lancashire already had 45 year a history of electrical usage, dating back at least to the 29th November 1878 when football was played under three arc lights at Turf Moor. For £39 Mr.Provis from Manchester brought a 12 hp Siemens patent steam engine set to feed 8000 candle power lamps. However it was hardly a successful inauguration to electrical power in the area as many spectators left before the end complaining that they could not see anything.

Experiments continued into electrical lighting, lamps being installed at Heasandford coke ovens in 1881. Five years later the newly formed Burnley Photographic Society illuminated one of the rooms at the Mechanics with electricity as an added attraction to their first exhibition. By this time electric lighting had also been provided at Steiners Printworks and at the Globe works of Howard & Bullough in Accrington.

Perhaps the most ambitious trial was at Hapton in 1888. Joseph Simpson, a local man who was an electrician with Edison & Co. in Manchester, installed a Kapp dynamo, driven from the same line shaft as the taping and winding machinery, at his familys Perseverance Mill in the village. The dynamo provided power for seven 50 candle power incandescent lights, three of which lit Bridge Street from dusk until 9-45. Other lights were suggested for the Conservative Club, the mills warehouse and for other streets in the village which was thus the first to be light by electricity in the Britain. The Hapton trial may have given a Padiham man ideas as he fitted his horse drawn gig with battery operated lights in 1889.

Nelson was the first East Lancashire local authority to take powers to provide electric light. Their Act was dated 1883, but it was nine years before they opened their first station, at the Leeds Road gas works. Even then it only comprised of a single 80 hp Willans engine driving a 43 kW, 120 volt Holmes dynamo. This was replaced in 1902 when increased use and the coming of the tramway required a larger station though the power supplied was still d.c. Three 200 kW sets were provided with an additional 400 kW set being installed in 1904.

By 1925 the station comprised three turbo alternators, two 3000 kW and a new 6750 kW unit, d.c. generation having ceasing the previous year. They gave sufficient power to supply Colne as well, the power station there closing after just 24 years service. Nelson was mothballed in 1935, but brought back into use at the start of the Second World War, finally closing end of the 1950s.

It was Burnley Corporation who built the first large power station in East Lancashire. It was opened officially in September 1893 though a public supply had commenced on 26 August. The Aqueduct Street plant was designed by Mr.Walker of Wolverhampton, power coming from two compound horizontal steam engines of 200 hp with 12 feet diameter flywheels. Each engine had eight 1.25 inch ropes from the flywheel driving an Elwell Parker dynamo at 450 rpm to produce 400 amps at 245 volts d.c. At first the engines were only run during the day as accumulators provided sufficient power for consumers needs at night (there were only 58 in January 1894).

Demand grew rapidly, Heasandford Mill had become the first weaving shed to be powered by electricity in 1904, and extra plant was continually being installed. The opening of the electric tramway system in 1902 was to provide another outlet for the station, and by 1906 there were seven engines installed, the largest being a 750 hp triple expansion vertical high speed Bellis and Morcom. Burnley had a policy of using the names of members of the electricity committee for their engines, and this one, which drove a Dick Kerr 500 kW dynamo, was called Race after Councillor Race. Two boilers at the plant were fired with hot gases from the nearby refuse destructors which burnt some 14,000 tons annually, a system which many local authorities used. The whole plant must have been well run as Burnley, together with Bolton and Nottingham, were the only local authority electricity departments making a profit at the time.

The old horizontal engines with their rope drives were removed just before the First World War, a 1,500 kW turbo generator having been installed to cope with increased demand. The load was still mainly for lighting and the tramway, the station being run on two shifts with electricity between midnight and 5-30 am coming from accumulators. Current was supplied at 440 and 220 volts d.c., with the tramway taking it at 530/565 volts. It was not until after the war that a.c. was provided, and two turbo-alternators of 3,000 and 2,000 kW were installed by 1923. The station was connected to the grid in 1935, the same year that the trams ceased to operate, though d.c. supply continued until 1950s. The station eventually closed at the end of the 1950s.

Accrington Corporation opened its power station, on Hyndburn Road, in 1900. The original plant consisted of five steam engines driving d.c. generators with a total capacity of 680 kW. As at Burnley, the boiler plant was linked with the Corporations refuse destructors. Further steam engines were installed as demand increased until an unusual development took place in 1912. Two 1000 hp four cylinder National gas engines were installed together with producer gas plant, each driving a 700 kW alternator generating at 6,600 volts, the first large a.c. plant in East Lancashire. Large gas engines such as these were originally developed by John Cockerill, a Haslingden born engineer, who had emigrated to Belgium.

Initially the plant was successful, with sales of by-products from the gas plant contributing to costs amounting to less than half that of the steam plant. Two more engines were installed, one of which was d.c. probably for the tramway supply. These engines must have produced more than sufficient for the towns demand as, in 1916, Accrington and Rawtenstall both agreed to supply Haslingden with electricity. A main was installed between the power stations in Accrington and Rawtenstall, the first grid system to operate in the district, the two concerns co-ordinating their supply to Haslingden.

Although the gas engines seem to have been more efficient than steam engines, they could not compete with turbines. By 1923 Accrington had installed three turbo-alternators of 2000, 5000 and 6000 kW capacity, and the gas engines had been taken out of commission by the end of the 1920s. Accringtons Electricity Department was extremely active, and demand was higher than in other East Lancashire towns. The station was one of those selected for development by the Electricity Commissioners and by 1947 plant capacity had reached 23,750 kW. The station eventually closed in the 1960s after Padiham B had opened.

Few local authorities supplies were interconnected. They only supplied their own area and did not supply the smaller towns and rural districts around them. Padiham A was built to supply these districts and to encourage greater industrial use of electricity in East Lancashire.

Padiham A

As a result of the problems experienced with the supply of electricity during the 1st World War, a Bill was presented to Parliament for the compulsory transfer of generating stations and power transmission lines to District Authorities. The Electricity (Supply) Act was passed in 1919, but the compulsory powers were excluded. Instead the District Authorities were to organise the industry in their areas on a voluntary basis. This was never very satisfactory, the Weir Committee reporting in 1925 that;
Co-ordination has not been achieved. The advisory bodies created under the Act have agreed on technical schemes, but local interests have prevented the carrying out of those schemes.
In East Lancashire, as elsewhere, there were certainly initial problems in arranging co-operation between the various local authorities.

The terms of the 1919 Act were slow to be acted upon, and it was only after it had been amended by a second Act in 1922 that an inquiry was convened in 1923 to consider the setting up of a Mid-Lancashire Electricity District to carry out the technical programme outlined for the area by the Electricity Commissioners. This suggested that generation should be concentrated on three stations; at Preston and Blackburn and at a new one to be erected at Padiham. The other stations in the district would be used purely for peak load and for supplying d.c. power to local tramways.

The two largest producers in the area, Preston and Blackburn, wanted to form a Joint Authority with compulsory powers to control electricity supply throughout the district; from Fleetwood to Colne, and from Chorley to Clitheroe. The inquiry decided against this proposal, accepting instead the scheme of the other local authorities for setting up an Interim Joint Board with purely advisory powers to carry out the requirements of the Electricity Commissioners. The Lancashire Electric Power Company, who were just about to extend their operations into the district by supplying Chorley, supported the idea of a Joint Board. It would enable them, as a private company, to develop the northern part of the area designated to them under their Act of 1900. This allowed them to supply all Lancashire south of the Ribble not already served by local authorities and also to sell electricity in bulk.

Their first power station, at Radcliffe, had been opened in 1905, generating three phase a.c. at 10,000 volts using four 1,500 kW turbo sets. Unlike urban local authority stations, who were able to rely on lighting and traction (for tramways) for much of their output, L.E.P. had to development other outlets. As a private company, their main source of income was from the sale of electricity in bulk to small authorities and to industrial premises. Acme Spinning Mill in Pendleton, the first all electric spinning mill in Lancashire, was supplied by them at a cheap rate to show how effective electricity was for powering textile mills. It opened on the same day as the power station. With persuasive sales staff, demand expanded rapidly, and by 1922 the station at Radcliffe had a capacity of 42,375 kW and supplied users throughout south east Lancashire.

At the inquiry into the Mid-Lancashire Electricity District L.E.P. suggested that they would like to build the proposed generating station at Padiham, selling not only bulk supplies to local authorities and industry, but also providing Padiham, Clitheroe and the rural area in between with electricity. A power station at Padiham had first been suggested in 1917, to be built either by a Joint Authority or by Burnley Corporation. However it was not envisaged as necessary until 1930. L.E.P. saw an opening here which would them to expand into their northern area and they applied to the Commissioners in July 1923 for permission to construct the station as soon as possible. Their application caught the local authorities off guard, but opposition was quickly provided by Burnley who applied in December 1923 to build the station themselves.

An inquiry was held by the Electricity Commissioners at Burnley Town Hall on 24th February 1924 to decide which scheme they would approve. Initially Burnley seemed to have the upper hand as they were supported by the other local authorities, apart from Padiham who had negotiated an electrical supply from the company. However, as the inquiry progressed, it became apparent that the L.E.P. scheme had been put together more carefully, and they had already purchased the best site. Burnleys plant was to have been south of Simonstone railway station. Not only was this a smaller site than L.E.P.s, but water supply and waste ash had to cross the main road.

Both schemes allowed for expansion of capacity. Burnley initially proposed to install two 12,500 kW turbo alternators and six water tube boilers with room for two more units as required. The L.E.P. suggestion was for two 6,000 kW units, with a further three 12,500 kW sets as demand increased. They planned eventually to have had sixteen water tube boilers.

In May 1924 the Electricity Commissioners granted permission for L.E.P. to construct the station as their proposed charges to customers were lower than Burnleys. The Commissioners probably had several other reasons for their decision, not least that they were extremely concerned at this time to extend electricity supplies into rural districts. L.E.P. already had experience of this as much of their supply area was of a rural nature. Under their Act they could lay down lines to supply Padiham and Clitheroe, and they were considering extensions to Sabden and Chatburn where there was a possibility of linking up with the Yorkshire Power Company. Burnley was only allowed to supply electricity within the boundaries of their U.D.C. and R.D.C. They had suggested that they would sell power to L.E.P. who could then supply the rural areas. However L.E.P. had replied that this was uneconomic and they would only provide the necessary transmission lines if they controlled generation as well.

It is certain that at this time power companies were far more active in promoting the use of electricity than local authorities. With a guaranteed outlet for lighting and traction, both of which attracted high premiums, local authorities did not have the same incentive to increase demand as did power companies who had to rely upon bulk power sales for their profit. For example: textile mills would expect to pay less than 0.8d per unit while tramways were charged 2d per unit, with lighting costing at least 5d per unit at night.

The Commissioners stipulated that L.E.P. had to supply bulk supplies to local authorities on specific maximum terms. They also had to build cooling towers to ensure that water was not taken from the River Calder when its temperature was above 70°F and transmission voltage for bulk supplies was required to be 33,000 and not 11,000 as suggested by the company. This was to ensure that there would be no problems as the grid system extended through East Lancashire.

Formal consent for the station was given on 25th July 1924, and work was soon in progress. In January 1925 C.D.Taite, the L.E.P.s manager and engineer, was arranging for a supply of electricity from Accrington Corporation. This was ready by July and was not just to help with construction work at the station but also for supplying customers and so build up a demand before the station opened. This line was later used for bulk sales to the Accrington area. The company did not approach Burnley for a supply. They probably realised that the Corporation would still be upset about not being allowed to build at Padiham. In fact Burnley installed two 5,000 kW turbo-alternators at their power station in 1925 despite having said in 1924 that there was no room for expansion.

By March 1925 work on the foundations at Padiham was underway, the turbo-alternator sets had been ordered and the sidings for coal deliveries were almost complete. A year later the buildings had all been roofed and two boilers were virtually completed. The dam across the river was finished and the cooling towers, switch gear and coal and ash plants were all well under way. The two turbo-alternators were also being erected and preliminary tests were scheduled for August. The station was brought into regular use on 24th January 1927, excess capacity being fed to L.E.P.s main station at Radcliffe by a 33,000 volt main for distribution in south east Lancashire. There was also the line to Accrington from where power could be sent to Haslingden and Rawtenstall, but the only other transmission lines in East Lancashire at this time were between Blackburn and Darwen, and between Nelson and Colne. A grid system had been proposed but would not be usable for seven or eight years.

Based on his experience at L.E.P.s Radcliffe station, The company chairman, Dr. Parshall, designed Padiham using tried and tested equipment. Once coal wagons had arrived at the sidings, they were marshalled and moved to the unloading hopper by a electric locomotive worked by d.c. from overhead cables. The wagons were tipped using electric rams, and the coal was then fed into skips on an overhead ropeway. This lifted the coal to the top of the 50 ton capacity bunkers where it was tipped automatically. The ropeway had a capacity of 30 tons per hour. Ashes were removed by skips on a monorail under the boilers, another aerial ropeway removing the skips from outside the boiler house to the dumping ground.

In the boiler house there were six boilers, four on one side of the firing isle and two on the other. The boilers were Babcock & Wilcox land type, each with three longitudinal drums. Working pressure was 250 lbs/sq.in. and steam temperature at the superheater outlet did not exceed 620°F. The heating surface was 9273 sq. ft. and they were rated at 35.000 lbs per hour. Each boiler had two chain grates, natural draught being used normally, though fans were provided for starting up and for use with low grade fuel. At the back of each boiler was a cast iron economiser of Greens patent Ringstay type.

The engine room was at the end of the boiler house and at right angles to it. Initially two 7,500 kW, 3,000 rpm turbo-generators were installed, but a third 15,625 kW, 1,500 rpm turbo-generator had been installed by 1928. All three machines were supplied by the British Thomson Houston Company of Rugby. The 7500 kW units were extremely noisy and were covered with silencers following complaints by people living nearby. They generated current at 11,000 volts. three phase 50 cycles and were designed for a 70% load factor. Condensing plant was supplied by Worthington Simpson Limited.

Much of the lighting and auxiliary equipment at the station ran on dc. and three Allen vertical compound high speed steam engines provided this. Two were 300 k.W sets running at 375 rpm while the third was rated 150 kW, running at 450 rpm, current being generated at 230 volts. By having both a.c. and d.c. motors capable of driving equipment at the station it was anticipated that power failures would not be a problem.

In operation steam entered the turbines at 250 lbs/sq.in. and 620°F, leaving at about 29.3 inches of vacuum and 70°F. The condensate temperature was then raised to 120°F by the exhaust steam from the d.c. generating sets and from the steam driven boiler feed pumps. There was no de-aerating plant. Make-up water was taken from the river and treated by lime and soda and then with the zeolite process before entering the system. The water was then of zero hardness and slight alkalinity, the boilers only needing a few inches of blow down each month.

The station was simple in design and not expensive in construction, costing around £390,000. It soon proved highly efficient. After operating for just over a year the thermal efficiency was calculated at 20.61%, only one station in the country, Barton, improving on this and that was with four times the output. It took some time to establish a market for the electricity produced, and the plant only operated from 6-00 am on Mondays till midnight on Saturdays. At weekends the load was supplied by the station at Radcliffe. During the week the night load was 8000 kW, rising to 12,500 kW in the day. Three or four boilers sufficed to supply the necessary steam.

The supply to Padiham U.D.C. was switched on in December 1926, even before the station itself was operational as it was important for the company to establish a demand quickly. Fortunately, when the station opened, they could send their surplus to Radcliffe for distribution to L.E.P.s customers in south east Lancashire. In 1927 at total of 45 million units were generated, bulk sales only amounting to a quarter of a million units. By 1934 units generated reached 61 million with bulk sales at 3.5 million units. During that year the Central Electricity Board, set up under the 1926 Electricity (Supply) Act, finally completed the first phase of the grid in East Lancashire. This completely altered Padihams market, and units generated in 1935 reached 82 million, with 27.5 million going to bulk sales, eight times previous sales.

Electricity demand in the mid 1930s was still almost entirely for lighting and industrial power. Padiham U.D.C. had a mere 25 electric cookers to supply and nine water heaters and wash boilers. In Burnley there were 1376 electric cookers, 714 water heaters and wash boilers and 3971 electric fires amounting to just over 17,000 kW of load in total.

The depression during the thirties was probably the reason that the station was never extended to its originally proposed size. The station had always been under boilered and, with the war, generating capacity was at a premium. In 1942/3 two extra boilers were installed with 55,000 lbs steam raising capacity and two more 12,500 kW turbo alternators proposed. A new factory for Magnesium Elektron was being built at Hapton to process magnesium, possibly extracting it from sea water pumped from the Irish Sea, and the extra capacity the boilers gave Padiham would have been used there. However the factory was never opened.

War time brought severe operational problems when, despite their reserved occupation, some experienced men were called up. Coal supplies deteriorated making it difficult to control the steam supply. With several aircraft factories in the area, there were quite a few barrage balloons protecting them. In strong winds they would break free, their control cables trailing behind often tripping out circuits as they became entangled with over head power lines. Frequency drops to 48 Hz were a regular occurrence, and around 1947 grid control was abandoned, the whole country having to restart from scratch.

During the 1950s and 1960s the station was used mainly for peak load, operating between 7-00 and midnight. On duty would be an engineer, switch board attendant, three turbine room staff and three in the boiler room. A total of around 35 people worked at the station. During the 1960s there was concern over a possible grid failure and stations were asked to assess the possibility of starting up from scratch with no supply. At Padiham it was though best to have a practical test. With full bunkers and chain grates fed by battery power, a fire was lit in No.3 boiler which had somehow lost 15 feet from its chimney so would be the most difficult to start. The test was made more difficult when it was found that there was no emergency lighting in the boiler house. The boilers were of the three pass type, and burning newspaper had to be lit in the chimney in order to create enough draught to start the hot air moving through the boiler. However, despite these problems, the test was successful.

By the time Padiham B was operational, the A stations boilers were virtually worn out. The turbines were still in good order and at one stage it was considered supplying them from the B station but this was never carried out. A station was slowly taken out of commission, the two 6000 kW alternators finishing in September 1968, and the 12,500 kW unit last being used at the beginning of February 1969.

Padiham B

When they purchased the land for Padiham A station, L.E.P. acquired a much larger area than was necessary. By the end of the 1930s it was obvious to them that the original extension scheme for the A station was now obsolete, power station size and design having advanced considerably over the previous ten years. Instead they proposed to build a B station on their land next to the original station. When the war started the plans were shelved, but they were brought out again when hostilities ceased. In 1946 the plan was for four units supplied by two banks of eight boilers. Three cooling towers were proposed to ensure that the station would be able to operate independently of the river.

Following nationalisation it was anticipated that Huncoat would provide for the immediate increase in local needs, though planning for Padiham B continued and in 1952 a new site was considered lying between the river bank north of Altham Church and the railway. However the old Calder Colliery workings were under this area, so the site was rejected because of the likelihood of subsidence. Consideration now concentrated on the A station site, with more land being purchased to the west of that already owned and boreholes driven. By 1956 much of the design work was completed and outline consent was given for a station with two 120 MW Turbo-generators and two boilers and cooling towers. Formal consent for Padiham B was granted on 30th May 1957.

A year later planning approval for the ash disposal area was still proving a problem, but work on the foundations was not held up and had started in October 1957. Towards the end of 1959 the contractors, M.J.Gleeson Ltd, had erected banks along the river to stop the flooding which affected the site and had virtually completed the foundations. The buildings, designed by architects Cruikshank & Seward of Manchester, cost £2.5 million and were completed by the end of 1960. The engineering consultants were C.S.Allott & Son of Manchester, the whole project being co-ordinated by the C.E.G.B.s Northern Project Group from Agecroft and was estimated to cost £12 million.

Despite several industrial disputes, which delayed construction by a few months, No.1 unit was finally synchronised at 18-19 hours on the 30th December 1961. No.2 unit followed almost a year later, at 14-13 hours on the 5th November 1962. Although the turbo-alternators were conventional, the boilers were the first continuous slagging boilers to be installed in this country. Many problems were to be encountered before they achieved reliability.

The No.1 boiler was manufactured by Babcock and Wilcox Ltd. and was a radiant unit, fired by three horizontally mounted cyclones mounted across the front wall. Fuel, after passing through a mill, was blown into the cyclone. A secondary air supply created an intense swirling action which caused heavier particles of fuel and ash to be flung outwards, and due to the intense heat in the cyclone adhere to the walls, forming a molten lining. The slag drained slowly to the bottom of the cyclone and then into the secondary furnace. Here the slag formed a pool protecting the floor from the hot gases before eventually draining away. Smaller coal particles burnt as if in a conventional P.F. burner, any grit carried through the boiler being removed from the waste gases by means of electrostatic precipitators. The grit collected was returned to the secondary chamber to be refired and converted to slag. When the molten slag left of the furnace floor, it poured into a water tank where it cooled rapidly, shattering into hard granules which could then be sold for industrial uses.

The water in the boiler tubes around the cyclone and furnace chamber removed the burning fuels heat energy, the hot water rising through natural circulation to a single drum at the top of the boiler. The steam created then entered the superheaters where the outlet temperature was controlled to within 15°F of 1010°F by spray attemperation. After passing through the HP turbine, the steam returned to the boiler to be reheated to 1005°F before continuing to the IP turbine.

On leaving the boiler more heat was removed from the flue gases by economisers which heated the water supply to the boiler. Some flue gases were also recirculated, being taken from the economiser outlet and injected into the secondary furnace to reduce the possibility of slag dew forming on the superheater tubes.

The No.2 boiler was manufactured by Simon-Carves Ltd. and was also of the continuous slagging type. However it was of a completely different design. Combustion took place in two chambers, one on either side of the boiler base. Each chamber had six burners on the side walls making a total of 24 burners. The tubes forming the combustion chambers were studded and covered using silicon carbide with passageways for the gas between the chamber and the central body of the boiler.

The slagging action was basically the same as on No.1 boiler, the slag running down the walls of the combustion chamber to form a pool at its base, and from there it overflowed into the water quench. Once again precipitators were provided to remove the grit from the exhaust flue gases, the grit being fed back into the combustion chamber. Although the detail design was different to No.1 boiler, for example there were two header drums and the rear pass had a front and rear section, it was generally similar in operation.

There were a number of benefits with slagging boilers. Better fuel combustion could be achieved by separating the combustion chambers from the rest of the boiler and higher furnace temperatures were possible. Also by recycling the grit from the precipitators most of the ash was converted to slag and it was possible to burn coal containing ash with high fusion temperature.

It was essential that the coal used in these boilers had a silica ratio of around 70 so that the correct amount of slag would form in the combustion chambers, keeping the tubes covered without impairing heat transfer. Coal supplies came from a wide area, Goldthorpe, a colliery to the south of Barnsley, being one of the main suppliers until 1978. More recently Maryport coal has been used, but supplies have come from many Lancashire, South and West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lanarkshire, Fife, Durham and Cumbrian collieries and open cast sites. Occasionally imported coal was used. The coal often had to be blended to obtain the correct analysis for use at Padiham, and sometimes sand was used to improve the slagging characteristics. Petrocoke, an oil refinery by-product, was used in the blends from 1980 to reduce costs.

The turbo-alternators were designed to generate 120MW each and were built by Associated Electrical Industries Ltd. (formerly British Thomson Houston Co. Ltd.) at Rugby. Running speed was 3,000 rpm. The H.P. cylinder had 11 stages, the first being a double row. Steam was re-heated before entering the I.P. cylinder which had 15 single row stages and then passed to the L.P. cylinder. The flow was divided into three before entering the L.P. cylinder, one third passing through a 6 stage section, the rest being divided in two before passing through a contra flow section with 6 stages on either side. The direction of the steam through each cylinder was decided when the turbine was designed to ensure the minimum of end thrust on the bearings. This was why the steam to the L.P. cylinder was divided into three. Hydrogen at 30 lbs/sq. inch was used to cool the alternator which had a terminal voltage of 13,800 volts.

Condensing plant, built by Vickers Armstrong (Engineers) Ltd., ensured that the vacuum at the exit of the turbines was maintained at 28.7 inches of mercury. At full load 579,783 lbs of steam were fed to the condensers hourly. The temperature of the condenser cooling water was kept down by the two 300 feet natural draught high cooling towers with a capacity of 3.5 million gallons per hour.

No.1 unit was commissioned on the 4th May 1962 but was to experience continual problems over the next ten years. Amongst those experienced during the first six months were a fire in 1A air heater, troubles with slagging and the slag plant, and the inevitable tube repairs. Even worse, on 22nd June the H.P. shaft was found to be cracked and had to be returned to the makers, shutting down the plant for two months.

Over the next eight months the load was restricted to 90 MW in order to keep the platen superheater outlet temperature within design limits. Tube failures continued, and there were faults on the governor and the main seal oil pump as well. From April to November 1963 major modifications were carried out to the superheater with a section being removed. Even after this work there was heavy fouling of the superheater and problems with the new slag screen restricting the load again to 90 MW. Over two months there were more tube failures and a build up of heavy slag deposits resulted in a further three month outage.

The unit came back on load for two weeks, then off for two weeks, then back on load for three weeks, until finally it was taken out for three months for boiler and turbine modifications. Even then it could only last one week before being taken off again for further modifications lasting another three months. Small wonder that workers at the A station called their new neighbour Padiham Maybe. One local pub even had a sweepstake on how long until the next outage!

1965 was to prove little better with three outages amounting to a total of six months. Slagging was proving a problem, and trials with Yorkshire coal in May seem to have helped. Boiler and turbine repairs were completed by the end of October, and the unit came back on load though restricted to 100 MW to determine optimum boiler conditions. The restriction continued throughout 1966, though operation was much improved with only seven major outages for boiler troubles.

Over the following years there were continual problems with the boiler. In 1968 over twenty weeks were lost in outages of more than seven days, while the following year the figure was ten weeks with output often restricted to 80 MW. This pattern continued into 1970 till the unit was shut down for a major overhaul in July. This lasted a year, and even then the unit was hardly more reliable.

By 1972 many problems seem to have been overcome, but as the price of oil was falling it was decided to change over from coal firing. Permission was not granted in time for the 1973 annual overhaul, so conversion had to wait until 1974. This took from March till November, completion being several weeks late due to industrial action by the contractors work force. Fine steam strainers were fitted to the turbine during the overhaul, but they were removed after just one day in operation.

With its conversion to oil firing, the unit seemed to take on a new lease of life. Over the next few years there were few major outages, and the boiler finally seemed to be behaving itself. Unfortunately the price of oil rose dramatically from 1979 which resulted in a decline in use of the unit. In 1980 it was declared cold and required seven days notice before it could be put on load. There was a suggestion that it should be converted back to coal firing, but this was not taken up.

The unit was in service for about thirty days in 1981, once because supplies had been interrupted due to storm damage to transmission lines. It was used for a short trial, comparing the combustion of residual fuel oil and coal oil dispersion fuel. In the latter finely ground up coal was mixed with oil to make a fuel containing almost 50% coal which could be used in conventional oil fired boilers. A longer 5000 ton trial took place in 1983 but was unsuccessful. In fact the boiler was again considered for conversion back to coal firing. This was not approved, the unit running very occasionally over the next eight years and was on load for the last time on 9th March 1991.

The No.2 unit was more successful, though again there were many teething problems. The unit was first synchronised at 14-13 hours on 5th November 1962, the load being kept to a maximum of 90 MW for the first month. Following this major modifications were made to the boiler and the H.P. and I.P. rotors were returned to the makers for repair. There were further turbine problems during 1963 as well as the slag and tube troubles which had afflicted the No.1 unit. These continued during 1964 though were much improved by the start of 1965. In fact the year 1965/6 was the best ever for the unit. It was on load for 7199 hours and produced over 825 million units during the twelve month period.

The unit usually performed better than No.1, though there were many outages for the usual tube leaks and turbine problems. 1972 was a poor year, though this is explained by the unit being on standby throughout February because of fuel conservation and the annual overhaul taking almost nine months. This would have been shorter had the 4th stage of the L.P. rotor not needed reblading. Things had improved by 1976 when the stations availability, at 70.2%, was the highest yet achieved. The early 1980s were probably the units best years. Only in one year between 1980 and 1986 did the generation fall below 620 million units with hours run usually over 6000 annually. These figures declined towards the end of the decade, rising again in 1991 and 1992.

The station maintained close links with the community, the tradition of organising a childrens Christmas party going right back to the days when there was just the A station. An Open Day was also held on 12 May 1984 to allow local people to look round the station and to enjoy the many steam locomotives and fairground engines which attended. With the pressures of growing environmental awareness, a Visitor Centre was opened in 1990 to explain to people, especially children, the methods used to reduce pollution and the flora and fauna around the station.

Workers at the station did not just serve the community by providing electricity. When George Shaw had to retire because of kidney failure the rest of the staff rallied round. Many fund raising events were organised and enough money was raised to purchase a mobile kidney dialysis machine which relieved George, and other patients, from the inconvenience of a thrice weekly visit to hospital. Further help was given to the disadvantaged by the B stations canteen providing Meals on Wheels one day a week.

But by the 1990s coal fired stations were becoming relatively more expensive to run, and the decision was made to close the station in September 1993. Huncoat and Whitebirk had already closed, and as a proposal in 1964 for a 2000 MW Padiham C station had come to nothing, electricity generation by coal fired power stations in East Lancashire will come to an end exactly one hundred years after Burnleys power station opened.

On Tuesday, December 30, 2003, at 11:29 am, Stanley Challenger Graham wrote:
Mike,
 I have looked at the problem again and all I can make out is that you aren't sending in rich text but TNEF.  What happens is that I get two files for each Word file.  One with text and one with coding.  Because I'm not set up for TNEF (hardly anyone is) I can't open them.  Can I suggest that you open the docs, copy and paste into the body of the mail as a message.  Thast means I get them.
 
Best, S.

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Clarke
To: Stanley Challenger Graham
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 8:30 AM
Subject: Re: Padiham power station

Stanley,

The files should all be in Word format. I have found that it is often easier to open files from within the programme using the 'open' command rather than clicking on the icon. Let me know if you are still having problems.

Mike

Mike Clarke
41 Fountain Street
Accrington
BB5 0QR

01254 395848

Mike Clarke
41 Fountain Street
Accrington
BB5 0QR

01254 395848

[bizboy125]

Nice topics I am seeing here. PADIHAM POWER STATION when started selling surplus electricity in 1883, the business eventually becoming the London Electricity Supply Corporation. But I think it was the result of their non concern and not consulting to proper business consultants to save their business when in 1990s coal fired stations were becoming relatively more expensive to run. As a result the decision was made to close the station in September 1993.

[Stanley]

Welcome to the site Biz. Nice try with the link but a bit outside our policy on advertising. Sorry!

[Stanley]

Bumped.

[Stanley]

Bumped again. A very useful file on electricity supply.

[Stanley]

Still an unparalleled resource.