Didcot B power station

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I see that this gas-fired power station has a fire coming out of a cooling tower. I think the Didcot A power station was coal burning according to the Radio 4 10 o'clock news......I am sure that a computer minded forum member will post a link when available.

 

[yorksrob]

Oh dear. What with several nuclear reactors off line and the system already expected to be close to capacity this winter, this is not good news.

 

[Saint66]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29684205

A major fire has broken out at Didcot B Power Station, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue has said.

Twenty fire appliances are at the scene to battle the fire, which has broken out in one of the cooling towers.

The gas-burning power station has been in operation since 1997 and can supply the power to up to one million homes, according to energy company RWE npower.

Police have warned local people to stay indoors and close their doors and windows.

Georgina Miles, who lives half a mile away, said the fire was "huge" but the flames had become smaller since firefighters had arrived.

Emergency service personnel from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) have all been called in to help with the blaze.

Pictures posted to Twitter appear to show the power station shrouded in flames and smoke.

The neighbouring coal-powered Didcot A power station was closed last year.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch when three of its enormous cooling towers were demolished in July.

A 20 pump response must mean it is very serious.

 

[Flamingo]

Does anybody know if the lines are still running beside it?

 

[Saint66]

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue have sent an aerial appliance and a normal pump to assist Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Buckinghamshire have also sent an aerial appliance, but Oxon believe the fire is under control.

 

[bnm]

Fire reported to now be under control.

Apparently broke out in one of the cooling towers of Didcot B. These are arranged in two rows, one of 15 and one of 16, and are squat towers not visible on the skyline. Didcot B is a gas-fired Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CGGT) power station.

Nothing to do with the three remaining towers of the decommissioned coal-fired Didcot A.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Oh dear. What with several nuclear reactors off line and the system already expected to be close to capacity this winter, this is not good news.

Does this unexpected loss of capacity push us near the point at which we would get rolling blackouts?

 

[Saint66]

At the moment, I don't think this is expected to do too much damage to power supplies nation wide, but I think it's too early to tell still.

 

[londiscape]

Does anybody know if the lines are still running beside it?

Funny you should say that - I was on way back to London from Bristol earlier. What should have been ex Bristol Parkway was ex Patchway instead, and diverted via Temple Meads, Bath and then down to the Reading Taunton line up through Pewsey and Newbury to RDG.

Check on NRE shows no rail Swindon to RDG today with RRBs running.

Planned engineering or response to Didcot?

 

[Mojo]

Planned engineering or response to Didcot?

Planned works; not that any of the websites make it clear (I had to look on Realtime trains last night). I was on the 0930; didn't want to risk traveling later in the day with the usual Temple M and South Wales service combined into 1tph.

A few yrs ago when the line was shut they used to run two separate trains (with the S Wales one not calling at Bath, and using the Rhubarb Curve).

 

[bnm]

Does this unexpected loss of capacity push us near the point at which we would get rolling blackouts?

Ed Davey has been on TV and Radio saying capacity should not be effected.

Dinorwig Pumped Storage power station has (or will, if need be) probably come on stream to cover any shortfall across the grid.

Didcot B is effectively two power stations in one, each side has seperate turbines, generators, exhaust chimney and cooling tower runs.

If the fire at Didcot B has been contained to one of the cooling tower runs then, subject to all the necessary checks, the other unnaffected half of the station could resume generation relatively quickly.

 

[455driver]

Does this unexpected loss of capacity push us near the point at which we would get rolling blackouts?

If it does happen it will be romantic watching telly by candlelight!

 

[bnm]

If it does happen it will be romantic watching telly by candlelight!

When I was very young my Grandad convinced me that when he was my age his family had a gas powered television.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

When the GWML is finally electrified, would Didcot B (or Didcot A) be used to provide the power for part of the route?

 

[W-on-Sea]

Definitely not Didcot A! That's the old coal-fired power station, which closed down last year and which has been partially demolished already, with the rest of it (including three of the original six cooling towers) expected to come down next year

 

[NSEFAN]

When the GWML is finally electrified, would Didcot B (or Didcot A) be used to provide the power for part of the route?

At this rate, most of the power will be coming from one of France's nuclear power stations!

 

[starrymarkb]

When the GWML is finally electrified, would Didcot B (or Didcot A) be used to provide the power for part of the route?

Officially trains are Nuclear powered (as NR buys in bulk from Generators) But it'll be a mix of Gas, Coal, Wind and Nuclear depending on the mix at the feeder points

 

[bnm]

If we are reaching a critical point in generation vs. consumption, then the new build nuclear can't come soon enough.

Hinkley Point C, now!

 

[Buttsy]

If it does happen it will be romantic watching telly by candlelight!

Ha ha ha...

 

[yorksrob]

Does this unexpected loss of capacity push us near the point at which we would get rolling blackouts?

There's always the danger. They were saying this around the time that London had that big powercut a few years ago and I don't think we had as many off line (that seemed to be more to do with the transmission grid if I recall.

Anyway, I invested in a large candle just in case !

 

[Nym]

There's always the danger. They were saying this around the time that London had that big powercut a few years ago and I don't think we had as many off line (that seemed to be more to do with the transmission grid if I recall.

Anyway, I invested in a large candle just in case !

It was a 'blown fuse' (protection relay trip) in Kent IIRC that triggered a changover and higher load on Wimbledon Grid, but one of the protection relays had been incorrectly set and nuisance blew. (There's a GLA paper on it somewhere)

 

[yorksrob]

It was a 'blown fuse' (protection relay trip) in Kent IIRC that triggered a changover and higher load on Wimbledon Grid, but one of the protection relays had been incorrectly set and nuisance blew. (There's a GLA paper on it somewhere)

Thanks for the more technical explanation.

I think someone must have blown a fuse when it happened

 

[meridian2]

What this fire demonstrates is just how inherently unsafe these power stations are.
We could be looking at major blackouts next year, and that's not scaremongering, that's pure, hard fact.

 

[High Dyke]

What this fire demonstrates is just how inherently unsafe these power stations are.
We could be looking at major blackouts next year, and that's not scaremongering, that's pure, hard fact.

Ah so the source of ignition has been confirmed then...?

A proper investigation will, in due course, reveal the cause of the blaze. What astounded me was that the cooling towers are predominantly constructed of wood. Hopefully a more learned person can explain this method of construction.

 

[CarltonA]

The following from Wikipedia: Cooling towers constructed in whole or in part of combustible materials can support internal fire propagation. Such fires can become very intense, due to the high surface-volume ratio of the towers, and fires can be further intensified by natural convection or fan-assisted draft. The resulting damage can be sufficiently severe to require the replacement of the entire cell or tower structure. Fires can propagate internally within the tower structure when the cell is not in operation (such as for maintenance or construction), and even while the tower is in operation, especially those of the induced-draft type, because of the existence of relatively dry areas within the towers.

My words: Some of us may recall an incident at Ferrybridge in 1965 when three of eight cooling towers collapsed in high winds after a vortex was formed in the towers. I used to walk past the old cooling towers at Slough power station, someone told me the slats were made of a hardwood such as teak or mahogany.

 

[Jonny]

If it does happen it will be romantic watching telly by candlelight!

As long as there is a battery/inverter set to keep the TV running (and the transmitter is up!)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

What this fire demonstrates is just how inherently unsafe these power stations are.
We could be looking at major blackouts next year, and that's not scaremongering, that's pure, hard fact.

I would most likely consider stocking up on an inverter and batteries that can keep it running (probably car-type) if a crunch looks likely, with the possible reserve of solar panels to charge the batteries. The risk would be even higher if a 20 month price freeze went ahead as the opposition would do if they came to power; let's face it then there would be less or even no incentive to reduce power use.

 

[455driver]

As long as there is a battery/inverter set to keep the TV running (and the transmitter is up!)

Whoosh!

 

[CarltonA]

As long as there is a battery/inverter set to keep the TV running (and the transmitter is up!)
.

Oddly my parents black and white TV continued to function during a power cut back in 1970. It was rediffusion set but I don't see how that would have kept it powered up. After forty minutes or so it cut out.

 

[Flamingo]

Oddly my parents black and white TV continued to function during a power cut back in 1970. It was rediffusion set but I don't see how that would have kept it powered up. After forty minutes or so it cut out.

Sounds like "The Twilight Zone" (cue dramatic music!)

 

[broadgage]

Does this unexpected loss of capacity push us near the point at which we would get rolling blackouts?

Not at present, spare capacity is relatively plentiful during the present mild weather. If however repairs are not completed before the winter peak demand season then it looks a bit more worrying.

Even in mid winter the loss of half of Didcot B would be of little consequence on its own, but combined with a number of outages at coal and nuclear plants then yes I forsee some risk of blackouts at peak demand times especially if we get a severe winter.
And of course there is the risk that something else will catch fire, blow up, trip or otherwise be unavailable.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

When the GWML is finally electrified, would Didcot B (or Didcot A) be used to provide the power for part of the route?

As others post, Didcot A has been closed for some time.
Didcot B would only supply GW electrification via the national grid, along with every other UK power station.