Musgrave Engine House c.1981 after the works had closed. © Crown copyright: RCAHMW | Tŷ peiriant Musgrave o gwmpas 1981 ar ôl i’r gwaith gau. ©Hawlfraint y goron; RCAHMW
Musgrave Steam Engine
In 1910 as an update to the No1 rolling mill, a new engine house was built to house a 600hp single cylinder Uniflow steam engine, manufactured by Bolton engineers John Musgrave and sons.
This pioneering design was one of the earliest successful Uniflow engines to be constructed incorporating Dr Johann Stumpf’s patented features, and is now the earliest known survivor of this type in the world, Musgrave having purchased a licence to build these in 1909.
The cylinder has a bore of 29” and a stroke of 39” (736 x 975mm) and ran at 120rpm, 2 rotations a second for its 18 ton flywheel. Steam was supplied at 160 psi (11 Bar) and canal water was used to supply the condenser.
The advantage of this development was its efficient use of steam, avoiding energy losses through condensation and with its high expansion ratio there was no need for second or third cylinders to expand the steam further; this kept cost and friction to a minimum.
Outside the engine house today is the rope race and 30 ton weight wheel powered by the Musgrave engine. This wheel, through a reversing gearbox, drove a series of rolling mill stands which reduced large cast slabs of copper, brass and other non ferrous metals down to thin sheets and plates in any thickness the customer required.
Although in desperate need of restoration, the engine and rolling mill survives as a unique remnant of the machinery that was once used by these large works throughout the lower Swansea valley.
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Yn 1910, adeiladwyd tŷ peiriant newydd ar gyfer peiriant ager ‘Uniflow’ 600 nc* a wnaethpwyd gan beirianwyr John Musgrave a’i feibion, Bolton, fel gwelliant i felin gwasgu rhif 1.
Y cynllun arloesol yma oedd un o’r peirianau ‘Uniflow’ llwyddianus gyntaf i gael ei adeiladu gan gynnwys nodweddion patent Dr Johann Stumpf. Felly, hwn yw’r engraifft gynharaf o’r math yma sydd dal i fod yn y byd. Prynodd Musgrave a’i feibion y trwydded i’w adeiladu yn 1909.
Mae’r silindr yn 29” (736mm) o led gyda taith o 39” (975mm) a rhedai am 120 cpm**, dau cylchdroad pob eiliad ar y olwyn fawr a oedd yn pwyso 18 tunnell. Roedd y cyflenwad ager yn160 pms***o bwysedd a defnyddiwyd dŵr o’r gamlas i lenwi’r cyddwysydd.
Maintais y datblygiad yma oedd defnydd effeithiol o ager, gan osgoi colledion egni trwy cyddwysiad a gyda’i gymhareb chwyddiant uchel, nid oedd angen ail neu dryddyd silindr i chwyddo’r ager yn fwy. Cadwodd hyn gostau a ffrithiant yn isel.
Tu allan i’r tŷ peiriant heddiw mae’r llwybr rhaffau a’r olwyn bwysau 30 tunell a yrrwyd gan beiriant Musgrave. ‘Roedd yr olwyn yma, drwy blwch gêr gwrthdroi, yn gyrru cyfres o melinau gwasgu a wasgodd darnau mawr o gopr, efydd a metalau ddi-haearn eraill lawr i haenau denau o ba drwch bynnag a fynno’r cŵsmer.
Er ei fod angen adnewyddu yn ofnadwy, mae’r peiriant a’r melin gwasgu wedi goroesi fel olion unigryw o’r peirianwaith a ddefyddid gan y gweithiau mawr yn nyffryn Tawe isaf.
* = nerth ceffyl
** = cylchdro pob munud
***= pwys (y) modfedd sgwâr
