Tynes Bay plant manager, Mr. Allan Hunt.

Refuse collection vehicles enter the reception area and deposit refuse into the storage pit.

The refuse in its crude state is picked up by the refuse handling crane and placed into the refuse feed hopper.

As the refuse falls, it is pushed into the furnace area by a hydraulic ram. It is fed into the Von Roll hydraulic grate system.

The movement of the grate ensures the refuse is agitated enough while the force draft fan provides air via the under grate air zones to assist in proper combustion.

The grates operate so as to ensure the refuse is thoroughly burnt out by the time it reaches the residue discharge area.

The secondary air supply injected above the furnace area ensures the hot flue gases that form in the furnace are burnt out.

The secondary air causes turbulence and the retention of the gases caused by the turbulence allows the hot flue gases to burn out.

The boiler system absorbs heat from the hot exhaust flue gases. The heat absorbed by the boiler tubes produce superheated steam which drives chanically wrapped and collected in the ash conveyor system.

The sea water cooling system is designed to condense the steam which is used to drive the turbine. It works on the same principle as a car radiator, except it feeds through a condenser and returns to the sea.

The sea water has no physical contact with the residue of the combustion process.

The control room monitors and controls the furnace combustion, electricity generation, the boiler operation including the feedwater treatment and storage system.

The furnace ash is quenched and collected in the residue collection pit and then disposed of.

After the flue gases have been treated, they are exhausted through a chimney or as it is known, the stack.

The operation of an incineration plant must be maintained at a high efficient level. Because of the extreme heat of combustion and high pressure developed in steam generation, extreme precautions and regular maintenance programmes must be carried out.

The turbine drives the generator which produces electricity.

The exhaust flue gases are filtered and cleaned by pollution control devices.

This device used to clean the flue gases is called an Electrostatic Precipitator.

The ESP charges the flue gas particles and then collects them on a collector plate. The residual is then mechanically wrapped and collected in the ash conveyor system.

The sea water cooling system is designed to condense the steam which is used to drive the turbine. It works on the same principle as a car radiator, except it feeds through a condenser and returns to the sea.

The sea water has no physical contact with the residue of the combustion process.

The control room monitors and controls the furnace combustion, electricity generation, the boiler operation including the feedwater treatment and storage system.

The furnace ash is quenched and collected in the residue collection pit and then disposed of.

After the flue gases have been treated, they are exhausted through a chimney or as it is known, the stack.

The operation of an incineration plant must be maintained at a high efficient level. Because of the extreme heat of combustion and high pressure developed in steam generation, extreme precautions and regular maintenance programmes must be carried out.