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A gasholder is a container that safely stores gas at a constant temperature and controlled pressure. It can be used to maintain proper pressure within a system or to store gas for later use. The design has been around since the 1800s and has evolved to include waterless versions. Gasometers are more prevalent in Europe and can be built atop natural formations like salt caverns for added durability.
A gasholder is an object that safely holds one type of gas at a constant temperature and controlled pressure. Typically, they are part of a larger piping operation, mainly used to help maintain proper pressure within the system. However, gasometers can also simply be used to store gas for later use.
The canister idea has been around since at least the early 1800s. At the time, William Murdoch developed lighting systems using gas as an energy source. To store the necessary gas, he developed a container that kept the system pressure safe and could track usage by reading a meter.
Basic gasometers use a large container filled with gas and water. The gas seeps into the top of the container and the water acts as a buffer at the bottom to maintain pressure. Inside the structure are placed two pipes, one designed to push the gas in and the other to push it out. By regulating the amount of water inside the container, the gas is expelled into the piping system. The gas can then be refilled into the container, which moves up again.
The waterless gas holder was developed during the 20th century. This version uses a sealed system that holds the gas using the strength of the container construction. The main advantage of this system is that the pressure is maintained at a level which allows the gas to flow at very high speeds. Basically, as soon as gas is ignited within the system, it will flow from the container to the needed location almost immediately.
The gasholder design is more prevalent in Europe than in the United States. During the Victorian era in particular, gas holders were the most common way of providing power to communities. As the United States took longer to develop into an urban society, the project has not been implemented to the same degree.
Many gasometers use natural formations to aid container storage capacity. One of the best features are the salt formations. Salt caverns offer natural durability that helps store gas. A gasometer built atop a salt cavern features water pumped into the cavern, creating saline solution, further helping to keep pressure and temperature intact. The likelihood of the gas escaping is highly unlikely and essentially creates a natural gasholder that can last seemingly forever.
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