Glanford Brigg Power Station
Encyclopedia
Glanford Brigg Power Station (also known as Brigg Power Station) is a gas-fired power station
in North Lincolnshire
, England
. It is capable of firing diesel as a substitute of natural gas
. It is situated on the River Ancholme
, beside the Sheffield to Lincoln Line
, outside the town of Brigg
, with its name coming from the former name for the town. It has a generating capacity of 240 megawatts
(MW).
Opened in 1993, the station was originally operated by Finnish company Fortum
, but is now operated by Centrica
. There are currently plans to build a straw
fuelled renewable energy plant alongside the station.
factory, which is the planned location of Brigg Renewable Energy Plant, by European Gas Turbines
(EGT), which was a division of GEC Alsthom
. GEC Alsthom won the £90m contract in March 1991. Initially, it was owned by Yorkshire Electricity, but operated by a Finnish
company, Fortum
, under the name Regional Power Generators Ltd. RPG was joint venture between Yorkshire Electricity and Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based Berisford Bristar, of which YE took 75% control in January 1991, with Total Gas Marketing owning the rest. The gas was supplied by British Gas
. In 2000 it was bought by Fortum. In July 2002 the plant was bought by Centrica
for £37 million, with the operating company known as Centrica Brigg Ltd.
fuelled, combined cycle gas turbine
power station with four gas turbine
s, four Stein Industrie heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and two 40 MW GEC Alsthom
steam turbine
s, divided into two modules. It can produce 240 MW of base load
electricity and 272 MW at peak load
, from a thermal input
of around 515 MW. In the event of interruption of main fuel supply, it can burn diesel instead. It can run at a maximum thermal efficiency of 46.8% when on constant running; the actual efficiency depends on factors in the local weather conditions such as temperature and humidity. It is used to fulfill peak load requirements from the National Grid, as the electricity output can be decreased when demand is less. Each gas turbine and both steam turbines are connected to a 40 MW electrical generator
(alternator
).
The station's four flue gas stack
s are 70 m (229.7 ft) high. The gas turbines are a General Electric
Frame 6 MS6001B type, producing 39.16 MW at 31.6% thermal efficiency. They rotate at 5135 revolutions per minute
(rpm), and are connected via a gearbox to the electrical generator revolving at 3000 rpm. Exhaust gas reaches the steam generator at 541°C. The gas turbine electrical generators are rated at 50.2 MVA
, with a terminal voltage of 11 kilovolts (kV). The electricity enters the National Grid via a transformer at 132 kV.
The station falls within the supply area formerly ran by Yorkshire Electricity
, with distribution currently run by CE Electric UK
. The site employs thirty six people.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
in North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is capable of firing diesel as a substitute of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. It is situated on the River Ancholme
River Ancholme
The River Ancholme is a river in North Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the Humber estuary.It rises south of Bishopbridge and passes through many Lincolnshire villages and the market town of Brigg before flowing north into the Humber at South Ferriby.North of Bishopbridge, where the River...
, beside the Sheffield to Lincoln Line
Sheffield to Lincoln Line
The Sheffield to Lincoln line is a railway line in England. It runs from Sheffield east to Lincoln via Worksop, Retford and Gainsborough Lea Road. The route comprises the main line of the former Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, to Gainsborough, Trent Junction, where it then follows...
, outside the town of Brigg
Brigg
Brigg is a small market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in 2,213 households . The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east-west transport routes across northern Lincolnshire...
, with its name coming from the former name for the town. It has a generating capacity of 240 megawatts
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
(MW).
Opened in 1993, the station was originally operated by Finnish company Fortum
Fortum
Fortum Oyj is a Finnish publicly listed energy company, which focuses on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland and the north-west of Russia. After acquisition of Russian energy company TGC-10 in year 2008, Western Siberia has become an important operating area for Fortum. The head of the company...
, but is now operated by Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
. There are currently plans to build a straw
Straw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
fuelled renewable energy plant alongside the station.
History
Construction of the power station started in late 1991 and it was opened in December 1993. It was built just south of a former British Sugar sugar beetSugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
factory, which is the planned location of Brigg Renewable Energy Plant, by European Gas Turbines
Ruston (engine builder)
Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam...
(EGT), which was a division of GEC Alsthom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
. GEC Alsthom won the £90m contract in March 1991. Initially, it was owned by Yorkshire Electricity, but operated by a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
company, Fortum
Fortum
Fortum Oyj is a Finnish publicly listed energy company, which focuses on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland and the north-west of Russia. After acquisition of Russian energy company TGC-10 in year 2008, Western Siberia has become an important operating area for Fortum. The head of the company...
, under the name Regional Power Generators Ltd. RPG was joint venture between Yorkshire Electricity and Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based Berisford Bristar, of which YE took 75% control in January 1991, with Total Gas Marketing owning the rest. The gas was supplied by British Gas
British Gas
British Gas is the name of several companies:* British Gas plc, the former gas monopoly in the United Kingdom and its successor companies** Centrica, which has the rights to the British Gas name in the UK...
. In 2000 it was bought by Fortum. In July 2002 the plant was bought by Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
for £37 million, with the operating company known as Centrica Brigg Ltd.
Operations
Glanford Brigg power station is a natural gasNatural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
fuelled, combined cycle gas turbine
Combined cycle
In electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem off the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators...
power station with four gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
s, four Stein Industrie heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and two 40 MW GEC Alsthom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s, divided into two modules. It can produce 240 MW of base load
Base load power plant
Baseload is the minimum amount of power that a utility or distribution company must make available to its customers, or the amount of power required to meet minimum demands based on reasonable expectations of customer requirements...
electricity and 272 MW at peak load
Peaking power plant
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers," are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity.-Peak hours:...
, from a thermal input
Thermal efficiency
In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency is a dimensionless performance measure of a device that uses thermal energy, such as an internal combustion engine, a boiler, a furnace, or a refrigerator for example.-Overview:...
of around 515 MW. In the event of interruption of main fuel supply, it can burn diesel instead. It can run at a maximum thermal efficiency of 46.8% when on constant running; the actual efficiency depends on factors in the local weather conditions such as temperature and humidity. It is used to fulfill peak load requirements from the National Grid, as the electricity output can be decreased when demand is less. Each gas turbine and both steam turbines are connected to a 40 MW electrical generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
(alternator
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
).
The station's four flue gas stack
Flue gas stack
A flue-gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. Flue gases are produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial furnace, a power...
s are 70 m (229.7 ft) high. The gas turbines are a General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Frame 6 MS6001B type, producing 39.16 MW at 31.6% thermal efficiency. They rotate at 5135 revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
(rpm), and are connected via a gearbox to the electrical generator revolving at 3000 rpm. Exhaust gas reaches the steam generator at 541°C. The gas turbine electrical generators are rated at 50.2 MVA
Volt-ampere
A volt-ampere is the unit used for the apparent power in an electrical circuit, equal to the product of root-mean-square voltage and RMS current. In direct current circuits, this product is equal to the real power in watts...
, with a terminal voltage of 11 kilovolts (kV). The electricity enters the National Grid via a transformer at 132 kV.
The station falls within the supply area formerly ran by Yorkshire Electricity
Yorkshire Electricity
Yorkshire Electricity was an electricity distribution utility in the UK serving much of Yorkshire and parts of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.-History:...
, with distribution currently run by CE Electric UK
CE Electric UK
Northern Powergrid Holdings Company is an electrical distribution company based in Newcastle Upon Tyne in England...
. The site employs thirty six people.