The Midlands Electricity Board has initiated a combined heat and power project at Moorfields Power Station that is the result of an investigation by the Midlands Electricity Board into providing economic power and steam. The normal efficiency of converting fuel into electrical power in a diesel engine is about 39 percent, i. e. , 61 percent of the energy in the original fuel is wasted. By recovering heat from the engine exhaust gases, jacket water, and lubricating oil systems as hot water and/or steam the fuel conversion efficiency can be doubled. A new plant at Hereford is an example of this type of station which meets the original aim to double the normal efficiency of conventional electricity generation to about 76 percent. The Hereford power station will have an electrical output of 15MW from two diesel alternators. These will feed power directly into the Midlands Electricity Board's local 11 kV system. In addition, the plant will supply to local factories up to 40MW of heat from boilers fired by the engine exhausts and back-up oil-fired boilers. Should there be a failure of the public supply connection to the town network the power station is capable of supplying the domestic and commercial electrical load of Hereford.
