Internal Fire Museum of Power facts for kids
View into Hall 1
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| Location | Tan-y-groes, Ceredigion, Wales |
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| Type | Technology museum |
The Internal Fire Museum of Power is a cool museum in West Wales where you can see amazing machines called internal combustion engines. Most of the machines here are big, powerful diesel engines. These engines were once used to make electricity or pump water for towns and factories. You can find this museum in a place called Tan-y-groes, in Ceredigion, close to Cardigan.
Exploring the Engines
Many of the engines at the museum have been fixed up and can run again! When you visit, you might even see some of them working. The museum has over 200 tons of working engines spread across nine different halls.
Diesel Engines
The museum is home to the oldest working diesel engine in the whole UK! It was made in 1912 by a company called Sulzer. This engine is a single-cylinder model and uses a special method called air-blast injection. It's a great example of the original design by Rudolf Diesel, who invented the diesel engine.
Steam Power
The museum is always growing! In 2020, they were busy creating a new hall just for steam engines. This new area will house some really old and powerful machines.
One of these is a huge 500 horsepower engine from 1903, made by J & E Wood. It's a "tandem compound" engine, which means it has two cylinders working together. Another exciting addition is an 1879 engine from a paddle steamer ship called the "Empress." This engine, made by John Penn, has two cylinders that move in a unique "oscillating" way. You can also see smaller steam engines, including the only surviving Petter steam engine.
In 2017, the museum received a special award for a 1901 Willans engine. This engine used to generate electricity for the famous Maples furniture shop in London until 1957. After its working life, it was put on display at the Willans factory in Rugby before coming to the museum.
Gas Turbine Engines
One of the most interesting exhibits at the museum is a "Pocket Power Station." This power station gets its energy from a Bristol Proteus gas turbine engine. Gas turbines are like jet engines, but they are used to create electricity.
Regional electricity companies used several of these 2.7-megawatt power sets. They were designed to be controlled remotely and were used to provide extra power during busy times. Even though they were meant to last only ten years, many were still working forty years later! In 2010, this amazing machine also received an Engineering Heritage Award.
See also
- Anson Engine Museum
- Prickwillow Museum
- Museum of Power, in the former Southend Waterworks, Essex
