Internal Fire Museum of Power

{{Infobox museum

| name = Internal Fire Museum of Power

| image = File:Internal Fire Hall 1.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = View into Hall 1

| native_name =

| native_name_lang = wel/cym

| map_type = Wales Ceredigion

| map_caption = Location within Ceredigion

| map_alt =

| map_size = 200

| coordinates = {{coord|52.11987|-4.49122|display=inline}}

| established =

| dissolved =

| location = Tan-y-groes, Ceredigion, Wales

| type = Technology museum

| collection =

| owner =

| website = {{URL|http://www.internalfire.com|Internal Fire – Museum of Power}}

}}

The Internal Fire Museum of Power is a museum of internal combustion engines in West Wales. The museum's collection is mostly of larger stationary diesel engines, as used for generating sets and pumping stations. The museum is located at Tan-y-groes, Ceredigion, near Cardigan.

Exhibits

File:Sulzer 1D25.jpg Diesel]]

File:IFAllenhotbulb.JPG hot bulb engine]]

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 Diesel, an example of the original Rudolf Diesel 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{{efn-lr|After the Pocket Power Station}} arrived.{{cite news

|newspaper=Rugby Advertiser

|date=20 June 2017

|title=Victorian engine built in Rugby leaves for restoration in Wales

|url=http://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/news/victorian-engine-built-in-rugby-leaves-for-restoration-in-wales-1-8017176

}} A 1901, 140 bhp three cylinder Willans engine 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{{Cite web

|title=Engineering Heritage Awards

|edition=5th

|publisher=Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)

|url=https://www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/heritage/engineering-heritage-awards-handbook.pdf?sfvrsn=0

|page=47

}}{{Cite web

|title=Central Valve Steam Engine

|publisher=Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)

|url=https://www.historypin.org/en/midlands-engineering-sites/geo/52.82954,-1.669328,7/bounds/50.215812,-4.333512,55.294963,0.994857/paging/1/pin/217209

}}

=Gas turbine=

One of the museum's most unusual exhibits was a 'Pocket Power Station', powered by a Bristol Proteus gas turbine engine.{{cite web

|title=SWEB's Pocket Power Stations

|url=http://www.internalfire.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=136

|author=South Western Electricity Historical Society

|publisher=Internal Fire – Museum of Power

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118165708/http://www.internalfire.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=136

|archivedate=2009-01-18

}}{{cite web

|title=Pocket Power Station

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/6XplGDDETqqWAN0pm-jX7Q

|publisher=BBC

|work=A History of the World

}} 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.{{cite web

|title=Pocket Power Station wins award

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/midwales/hi/things_to_do/newsid_8734000/8734976.stm

|publisher=BBC Mid Wales

|date=11 June 2010

}} In 2010 this was recognised with an Engineering Heritage Award.{{Cite web

|title=Engineering Heritage Awards

|edition=5th

|publisher=Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)

|url=https://www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/heritage/engineering-heritage-awards-handbook.pdf?sfvrsn=0

|page=10

}}