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home | the buildings | w.p.h. 10 (578)
 

W.P.H. 10 (578)

Built: 1961
Decommissioned: Still active

The altitude gas turbine testing rigs and cells required a constant flow of cooling water during test runs. These were supplied by a complex network of various water supplies which ran throughout the site. However, the provision of water for each cell was similar: water was drawn from a reservoir, pumped to the test cell, and then returned to a cooling tower. Therefore each test cell had an associated reservoir (normally in the base of the cooling tower), pumping equipment, piping and a cooling tower.



The south facing windows of the Battle Test House as seen from the Power Station offices.
23|05|07 © Simon Cornwell 2007


The pumping equipment was normally housed in a separate building. For the water supply system, these were called the Water Pumping Houses or WPH. (A similar system existed for fuel distribution, but these were dubbed Fuel Pumping Houses or FPH). These small buildings could be found scattered around the site, normally situated between the cooling tower and its associated test cell.



Layout of N.G.T.E. New Site water supply circuits


Water Pumping House 10 (578) housed three pumps which pumped water in a closed system between the Bramshot Cooling Towers and Cell 3, Cell 4 and Number 9 Exhauster.



W.P.H. 10 Walkthrough...

South side of the W.P.H. 10. (The building's number can also be seen to the right of the door). W.P.H. 10 seen in context from a northern window of the Computer Building. The huge anechoic chamber can be seen beyond with the Bramshot Cooling Towers to the right. Northern view of the pumping plant in W.P.H. 10. Looking south across the pumping gear to the loading doors. View north along the switchgear annexe. View south along the switchgear annexe.


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