The Internal Fire Museum of Power is a museum of

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...

s in

West Wales West Wales ( cy, Gorllewin Cymru) is not clearly defined as a particular region of Wales. Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of ''Deheuba ...

. The museum's collection is mostly of larger stationary

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

s, as used for generating sets and pumping stations. The museum is located at

Tan-y-groes Tan-y-groes (or Tanygroes) is a hamlet in the community of Penbryn, Ceredigion, Wales, which is east of Cardigan on the A487 trunk road. Tan-y-groes is represented in the Senedd by Elin Jones (Plaid Cymru) and the Member of Parliament is Ben L ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

, near Cardigan.

Exhibits

Most of the engines have been restored to working order. Several engines are in operation when the museum is open.

Diesel

The museum has the oldest working diesel engine in the UK, a 1912 Sulzer single cylinder

air-blast injection Air-blast injection is a historical direct injection system for Diesel engines. Unlike modern designs, air-blast injected Diesel engines do not have an injection pump. A simple low-pressure fuel-feed-pump is used instead to supply the injectio ...

Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

, an example of the original

Rudolf Diesel Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (, ; 18 March 1858 – 29 September 1913) was a German inventor and Mechanical engineering, mechanical engineer who is famous for having invented the diesel engine, which burns diesel fuel; both are named after him. ...

design.

Steam

The museum houses over 200 tons of working engines in nine halls and in 2020 was in the process of creating a new steam hall to house a 1903, J & E Wood, 500 hp tandem compound along with an 1879, John Penn, twin cylinder oscillating paddle steamer (ex Empress) as well as a number of smaller engines including the only surviving Petter steam engine. In 2017, the museum's second Engineering Heritage Award exhibit arrived. A 1901, 140 bhp three cylinder

Willans engine The Willans engine or central valve engine was a high-speed stationary steam engine used mainly for electricity generation around the start of the 20th century. Willans' engine was one of the best-known examples of the steeple compound engine. T ...

generating set had been used until 1957 at the Maples furniture shop in London. On retirement this had been placed on display at the original Willans factory in

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

Gas turbine

One of the museum's most unusual exhibits was a 'Pocket Power Station', powered by a

Bristol Proteus The Bristol Proteus was the Bristol Engine Company's first mass-produced gas turbine engine design, a turboprop that delivered just over 4,000 hp (3,000 kW). The Proteus was a reverse-flow gas turbine. Because the second turbine drov ...

gas turbine engine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...

. The regional electricity board installed several 2.7MW, remote-operated, generation sets for peak load powered by the Proteus. Designed to run for ten years many were still in use forty years later. In 2010 this was recognised with an Engineering Heritage Award.

References

External links