Gasometers - end of an era

[charles]

I ssupect it's the gas works which are the problem, not the cylinders themselves.

[Nightjar]

This is just one of the stories I found where it states that it is the decontamination cost that prevents a gasometer from being dismantled:

[OG]

That reminds me, somewhere I have some home developed B&W negatives of the old St Pancras gasometer frames. Back in the 'paper photography' days I did some solarised prints from them. I must see about scanning them into digital and seeing what else I can do with them.

[Jethro_uk]

When I worked in London, the workshop was next door to an old (100 years

+) chemical factory. Made dyes of some description. It was bought in the late 80s by a US outfit, because it was (apparently) the only place left in the world which made a particular type of dye. The process being too expensive to recreate with "modern" plant.

So they bought it, ramped up production to give themselves a surplus, and then decommissioned it. I saw the whole process. They had to clear the ground to a depth of 2m across the entire site. In the process they hit an underground spring, which meant I came in one Sunday (nothing there Saturday :) ) to see they had already erected a drilling derrick (looked like a mini north sea oil platform) and had to define the course of the waterway, and demonstrate there was no contamination.

This last adventure cost a *fortune*.

Speaking to one of the last employees (someone had to do the admin) the cost of the clear-up ended up exceeding any profit they made from the sale.

There's "luxury" flats there now (under the Heathrow flightpath :) ). As my brother says "I wouldn't buy one - I saw them build them".

[damduck-egg]

The steel from a dismantled gasholder "Tank" is thought in some circles to be have some form of anti corrosion properties due to gas impregnation over the years,usually heard the story in connection with a builder of economy canal boat hulls who used thinner plates than most but was said to source the steel from old gasholders as the steel had an element of rust proofing.

G.Harman

[Scion]

charles put finger to keyboard:

That's the wrong way round, shirley. The up 'n' down action is the 'meter' bit of 'gasometer'.

[Bob Eager]

Shirley, given the age of the term, it ought to be 'gasoyard'?

[Nightjar]

The fixed wall version had a top that acted as a piston that went up and down inside the walls. I recall them having a cable attached to the top, which, passing over a pulley, operated a pointer on the outside, to indicate how full they were.

[Tim Streater]

Only if the term was gasometre :-)

[Tim Watts]

On 30/01/15 11:29, Nightjar The fixed wall version had a top that acted as a piston that went up and

How did they effect a seal?

[Nightjar]

AIUI, the piston and walls simply acted as restraints for a flexible bag, which was the actual gas holder.

[Tim Watts]

Wow... Like bulk wine shipping:

(See Flexi Tank lower on that page)

[Caecilius]

Don't they suffer from hydrogen embrittlement? Town gas had a large proportion of hydrogen IIRC.

[Scion]

Bob Eager put finger to keyboard:

Yeah, and a two-dimensional one would be a 'gasoline'.

[Adam Funk]

That's just like boxed wine, but scaled up a bit.

[docholliday93]

I'd have agreed that it was fiction - quite apart from those points, if the top had really become concave, then as soon as it rained a puddle would collect on the top and mess up the pressure regulation...

[Theo Markettos]

Around here there's a petrol station that 'lost' 10,000 litres of fuel - because one of the employees saw that the leak alarm was going and turned it off. They've spent the last 5 years pumping it out - got 7,500 at the last count.

It's been on the market - the terms are that you can apply for planning permission for flats, and the oil company will do the necessary remedial work to the standard of its intended use, and then purchaser signs a restrictive covenant preventing other uses.

But _absolutely_no_gardens_.

I wonder why.

Theo

[Nightjar]

It would make lighting a bonfire interesting.

[Caecilius]

Does the leak date back to when they held leaded petrol? If so, you wouldn't want people growing vegetables in it.

There might also be other nasties in petrol and diesel like benzine.