Trivia Investigation Team

[Dormouse]

Finally tracked down Frank and Matthew. They are HORNSBURY and their original company was called STEELRAY.

[Dormouse]

Because Culham science park was originally RNAS CULHAM and the government eventually opened up it's research facility and "developed" it into a civilian operation. If, that is, UKEA is truly civilian.

[NewcastleFalcon]

I had a tour of the place a few years ago. If I can remember anything about it, I'll post it up..... but don't hold your breath

Culham has had a couple of mentions from you in times gone by..

They use a couple of flywheels at the Culham fusion research project:

Quote: "Large amounts of electrical power are required at Culham to generate the necessary confinement magnetic fields, and heat the fusion plasma to the huge temperatures required to research the conditions required for fusion to take place. JET's main power source, the 400kV super-grid, is able to supply up to 550MW but this is not enough for all the loads required during an experiment. In addition two large flywheel generators, each with rotors weighing in at 775 tonnes and measuring nine meters in diameter, are used generate up to 400MW each and supplements the power drawn from the grid."

http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/power_academy_roles.aspx

If you can get on a tour to that place, it's definitely worth it Oh yes !!

There's a paragraph in there that puts the Urenco connection into perspective:

"According to WHP director Patrick Head, there are 500,000 composite centrifuge rotors (used for enriching uranium) that have been operating 24/7 for 20 years. (Note: a quick analysis of Urenco enrichment facilities estimates 575,000 centrifuges in operation by 2020.) According to an in-house strategy document, Urenco claims, “Another huge strength that Urenco has is their centrifuge technology that runs for 35 years while competitors have to replace their machines every 12 to 15 years.”

And a note to CitroJim - as well as the Culham facility that you really ought to book a tour on, you should also get on a tour of Urenco's facility at Capenhurst. A very fascinating - if somewhat eye-opening - few hours to be spent there. Their evacuation procedures if one particular alarm sounded makes you sit up and take note - it was akin to (and I paraphrase here) "Run away, very fast, climb over bodies if you need to"

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

The other bit of the quote from Bobins also links to Williams F1, and the spin off company WHP (Williams Hybrid Power) which co-incidenally comes from this article I posted from Composites World about Composite flywheels.

https://www.compositesworld.com/article ... g-up-speed

Only just the other day I delved into Composites World again about the Large Wind Turbine's.

Regards Neil

[Dormouse]

And a note to CitroJim - as well as the Culham facility that you really ought to book a tour on, you should also get on a tour of Urenco's facility at Capenhurst. A very fascinating - if somewhat eye-opening - few hours to be spent there. Their evacuation procedures if one particular alarm sounded makes you sit up and take note - it was akin to (and I paraphrase here) "Run away, very fast, climb over bodies if you need to"
[/quote]



I once worked on a Live Oleum Stack at Immingham and the instructions I was given amounted to " run like hell to that automatic shower at the bottom of those stairs, jump on the steel tread plate and take all your clothes off. The site alarm will sound and the nearest medical team will respond"

When I remarked, a bit flippantly, that the shower was completely open and across an open field in front of an office block full of secretaries I was told that the last thing on my mind would be Secretaries - one Oleum drip would just burn quickly through flesh and whatever.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Subject of the day Culham

Because Culham science park was originally RNAS CULHAM and the government eventually opened up it's research facility and "developed" it into a civilian operation. If, that is, UKEA is truly civilian.

I like the alternative name for RNAS Culham.....HMS Hornbill

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Subject of the day Culham

...and from its days as HMS Hornbill, a nice picture gallery

http://www.pixture.co.uk/Pages/Culham.htm


from which I have selected a nice Nissen Hut

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Have a drink of the local brew, available at the Railway inn Culham. Loose Cannon Brewery not far away in Abingdon



Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Just to be different but still stay on theme here is a video you really don't want to watch!!

[mickthemaverick]

The local railway station has a claim to fame all of its own!!:

https://www.culhamstation.co.uk/index.html

[NewcastleFalcon]

The local railway station has a claim to fame all of its own!!:

https://www.culhamstation.co.uk/index.html

Excellent Mick, loaded with interesting information/images

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I don't know if you spotted the online jigsaw collection on the Culham Station website but I've been having great fun doing them!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

I don't know if you spotted the online jigsaw collection on the Culham Station website but I've been having great fun doing them!!

Not yet but I'll give it a go!

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Dismantled Industrial Railway mooch today.

Noticed a fair few "LC" markings on the OS map, next to a dismantled industrial railway line to Whittle Colliery in Northumberland originally linked to the East Coast Mainline.

Yes Level Crossing and many of them as it criss crossed the rural lanes.

Here's one of them not much to see!

and another one..

Discovered a couple of bits of trivial about the line/locos so I'll shove them here.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

One of the workhorse locomotives No 31 Meteor, which ended up at Whittle Colliery in a fairly delapidated and poorly maintained state, has had a bit of a charmed life since, and remains in preservation with a stint at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and at East Somerset, and was up for sale at the last count.

It used to be known as the Clockwork Orange at NYMR

https://www.steamlocomotive.info/valbum ... splay=4799

Regards Neil