30-515: The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established by the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926. It had the duty to supply electricity to authorised electricity undertakers, to determine which power stations would be 'selected' stations to generate electricity for the board, to provide main transmission lines to interconnect selected stations and electricity undertakers, and to standardise generating frequency. In 1925 Lord Weir chaired
60-534: A committee that proposed the creation of the Central Electricity Board to link the UK’s most efficient power stations with consumers via a ‘national gridiron’. At that time, the industry consisted of more than 600 electricity supply companies and local authority undertakings, and different areas operated at different voltages and frequencies (including DC in some places). The board's first chairman
90-618: A jet, and a BOAC de Havilland Comet 4 powered by four Avons made the first scheduled transatlantic crossing by a jet airliner . Production of the Avon aero engine version ended after 24 years in 1974. Production of the Avon-derived industrial version continues to this day, by Siemens since 2015. The current version of the Avon, the Avon 200, is an industrial gas generator that is rated at 21,000–22,000 shp (15.7–16.4 MW). As of 2011, 1,200 Industrial Avons have been sold, and
120-544: A number of government committees, including those on civil aviation, economies in the fighting services, and co-ordination between the navy, army, and air force. During 1924 and 1925, Weir chaired the committee on electricity supply to plan the rationalisation of the United Kingdom's electrical power industry . His conclusions led to the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 , and the creation of the National Grid and
150-724: A number of other directorships, including Lloyds Bank (1928–38), Imperial Chemical Industries (1928–53), International Nickel (1928–59), and Shell Transport and Trading (1939). He was also chairman of the Anglo-Scottish Sugar Beet Corporation . David Lloyd George appointed him to the unpaid position of director of munitions in Scotland in July 1915, he joined the Air Board in December 1916 and
180-1030: The Central Electricity Board . He was appointed to the Order of the Bath as a Knight Grand Cross in 1934. In 1934, he undertook the role of President for the Guild of Aid and Day Nursery in Glasgow. At the Annual meeting in November 1934 donated £162 to cover the Day Nursery's debt for the previous year. (refer to The Scotsman newspaper, Saturday 03 November 1934) In 1935, he was a member defence policy and requirements committee and became advisor to Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, later Viscount Swinton upon his appointment as Secretary of State for Air . He
210-499: The High School of Glasgow before entering an apprenticeship in the business established by his father and his uncle, G. and J. Weir , manufacturers of condensers, pumps, and evaporators. Weir rose to become a director of G. and J. Weir, before serving as managing director between 1902 and 1915, and as chairman from 1910 to 1953. During World War I , he converted his factories to produce explosive shells . He went on to hold
240-587: The Ministry of Supply and in 1942 he was chairman of the Tank Board. William's younger brother James George Weir was involved in the family business and also in the Air Ministry. He married Alice Blanche MacConnachie (1882–1959), the daughter of John MacConnachie on 2 June 1904. They had two sons and a daughter. Weir died on 2 July 1959 at his home at Giffnock, Renfrewshire, he was aged 82. He
270-841: The RM6 with 17,110 lbf (76,100 N) thrust. The RM5 powered the Saab 32 Lansen and the RM6 powered the Saab 35 Draken and all-weather fighter version of the Lansen (J 32B). 300 Avon 113s, and a larger number of Avon 203s were produced under licence in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale Division Moteurs . In the US the RA.28-49 was used in the VTOL Ryan X-13 Vertijet aircraft. In Australia,
300-576: The Rolls-Royce Nene engine. Design work began in 1945. The Avon design team was initially headed by Stanley Hooker assisted by Geoff Wilde . Development of the engine was moved from Barnoldswick to Derby in 1948 and Hooker subsequently left the company, moving to Bristol Engines . The first engine ran on 25 March 1947, with a 12-stage compressor. The engine was difficult to start, would not accelerate and broke first-stage blades. Two-position inlet guide vanes and compressor bleed were among
330-785: The Avon was used by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in the CA-27 Avon-Sabre . The Avon continued in production for the Sud Aviation Caravelle and English Electric (BAC) Lightning until 1974, by which time over 11,000 had been built. It remained in operational service with the RAF until 23 June 2006 in the English Electric Canberra PR.9 . Initial design work was done on the 2-spool RB.106/RB.128 as an Avon successor for large supersonic fighters. Avon Series 100 are early military versions of
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#1732780938791360-509: The Avon. Avon Series 200 are uprated military versions of the Avon with can-annular combustion chamber and Sapphire style compressor. Avon Series 300 are further developed military after-burning versions of the Avon for the English Electric Lightning . Avon Series 500 are civilian equivalents to the military Avon Series 200 variants. Data from "Lightning F.6 Avon 301R Specs" . lightning.org.uk. Archived from
390-634: The Canberra B.6, Hawker Hunter and Supermarine Swift . Uprated versions followed, the RA.7/Mk.114 with 7,350 lbf (32,700 N) thrust in the de Havilland Comet C.2 , the RA.14/Mk.201, 9,500 lbf (42 kN) in the Vickers Valiant and the RA.26, 10,000 lbf (44 kN) used in the Comet C.3 and Hawker Hunter F.6. An Avon-powered de Havilland Comet 4 flew the first scheduled transatlantic jet service in 1958. The highest thrust version
420-615: The Central Electricity Board between 1927 and 1948: Upon its establishment in 1927 the Board comprised a full-time chairman and seven part-time members, all appointed by the Minister of Transport. The inaugural part-time members were: Under the board were a general manager, secretary, chief engineer, commercial manager and support sections. Some key people were: In 1940 the Electricity Commissioners in agreement with
450-443: The Central Electricity Board proposed a programme of new generating capacity to mitigate war risks and the growth in demand associated with the development of munitions factories. The programme entailed the installation of 180 MW of plant in four existing stations and two new stations one at Earley east of Reading ( 51°27.6899′N 0°55.5858′W / 51.4614983°N 0.9264300°W / 51.4614983; -0.9264300 ) and
480-459: The design changes which allowed the engine, as the RA.2, to run a 25-hour test and fly in the two outboard positions on the converted Avro Lancastrian military serial VM732 , from Hucknall on 15 August 1948. The first production engine, which needed a two-stage turbine, was the RA.3, or Avon Mk 101. Several modified versions of this design were produced in the Mk. 100 series. The Avon 200 series
510-597: The other at Castle Meads , Gloucester. Earley was the only power station owned by the CEB; it was operated by Edmundsons Electricity Corporation until nationalisation in 1948. The supply from Earley commenced on 8 December 1942, only 22 months after the start of construction. The plant initially comprised a Parsons 40 MW steam turbo-alternator fed from three boilers with a total steam capacity of 600,000 lb/hr at 635 psi at 850 °F (75.6 kg/s, 43.8 bar at 454 °C). The boilers were fed with pulverised coal. The plant
540-604: The regional grid systems. The CEB established laboratories at Croydon and Waddon to undertake research on high voltage transmission problems. The CEB co-existed with the Electricity Commissioners , an industry regulator responsible to the Ministry of Transport . The CEB ceased to exist when the electricity industry was nationalised by the Electricity Act 1947 and taken over by the British Electricity Authority . There were four chairmen of
570-534: The type has established a 60,000,000 hour record for its class. The engine was initially a private venture put forward for the English Electric Canberra. Originally known as the AJ.65 for Axial Jet, 6,500 lbf the engine was based on an initial project concept by Alan Arnold Griffith . which combined an axial compressor with a combustion system and single-stage turbine using principles proven in
600-535: Was Andrew Duncan . The CEB established the UK's first synchronised AC grid, running at 132 kilovolts and 50 Hertz , which by 1933 was a collection of local grids, with emergency interlinks, covering most of England . This started operating as a national system, the National Grid , in 1938. After completion of the National Grid the role of the CEB changed from planning and construction to operating and managing
630-585: Was a complete redesign having very little in common with earlier Marks. Differences included a completely new combustion section and a 15-stage compressor based on that of the Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire . The first application was the Vickers Valiant . The engine entered production in 1950 as the RA.3/Mk.101 with 6,500 lbf (29 kN) thrust in the English Electric Canberra B.2 . Similar versions were used in
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#1732780938791660-677: Was abstracted from the river. Upon nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948 the ownership of Earley power station was vested in the British Electricity Authority , and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). Earley was also the site of a pioneering main-service gas turbine, this was a 56 MW machine driven by four Rolls-Royce Avon jet engines and
690-568: Was also an establishment at Horsley Towers , East Horsley, Surrey. William Weir, 1st Viscount Weir William Douglas Weir, 1st Viscount Weir GCB PC (12 May 1877 – 2 July 1959) was a Scottish industrialist and politician, who served as President of the Air Council in 1918. Weir was born in Glasgow in 1877, the eldest child of James Weir (1842/3–1920) and his wife, Mary Richmond (1848–1931). He attended Allan Glen's School and
720-560: Was behind the creation of shadow aircraft factories and was an advisor on national defence, resigning his position after Swinton's dismissal. He was created Viscount Weir , of Eastwood in the County of Renfrew in 1938, He was a founder and later president of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club and was elected to The Other Club in 1932. Between 1939 and 1941 Weir served as the director-general of explosives at
750-451: Was commissioned in 1965. A second diesel-fired gas turbine was installed later. The operating parameters and electricity output of Earley power station is given in the following table. The steam plant and generators were decommissioned in the 1970s. The gas-turbine plant and the whole station were decommissioned in 1982, the two chimneys demolished in 1982. The CEB headquarters was at Trafalgar Buildings, 1 Charing Cross, London SW1. There
780-405: Was extended in 1944–45 with a second 40 MW set and boilers with a capacity of 400,000 lb/hr (50.4 kg/s). A third 40 MW set with 400,000 lb/hr boilers was installed in 1945–47. In its final configuration there were seven International Combustion boilers each with a capacity of 200,000 lb/hr (25.2 kg/s). Generation was at 33 kV and transmission at 33 kV and 132 kV. Cooling water
810-730: Was made a Knight Bachelor in February 1917. He joined the Air Council in November 1917 and became its President in April 1918, resigning in December that year after the end of the war. For his efforts he received the Distinguished Service Medal . He was appointed to the Privy Council in April and was raised to the peerage as Baron Weir , of Eastwood in the County of Renfrew , in the summer. He didn't desire any further political power, and went on to serve on
840-762: Was succeeded by James Kenneth Weir , 2nd Viscount Weir . In addition to his knighthoods, barony and viscountcy, Weir received an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow in 1919, the freedom of the City of London in 1957, the Order of the Crown of Italy , and he became a Commander of the Légion d'honneur . In 2011 he was one of seven inaugural inductees to the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame . Rolls-Royce Avon The Rolls-Royce Avon
870-449: Was the RA.29 Mk.301/2 ( RB.146 ) used in later versions of the English Electric Lightning . It produced 12,690 and 17,110 lbf (56,400 and 76,100 N) with afterburning. Other aircraft to use the Avon included the de Havilland Sea Vixen , Supermarine Scimitar and Fairey Delta 2. The RA.3/Mk.109 was produced under licence by Svenska Flygmotor as the RM5 , and an uprated RA.29 as
900-436: Was the first axial flow jet engine designed and produced by Rolls-Royce . Introduced in 1950, the engine went on to become one of their most successful post- World War II engine designs. It was used in a wide variety of aircraft, both military and civilian, as well as versions for stationary and maritime power. An English Electric Canberra powered by two Avons made the first un-refuelled non-stop transatlantic flight by
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