Can anyone identify this?

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by oogzy100, Sep 17, 2016.

  1. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    Hi. Are there any old school plumbers who can identify this vessel and solve a mystery?
    We are an asbestos removal contractor on a current project in Essex. Stately home built mid 1700.
    We are clearing a basement of the old heating plant.
    Its not unusual for us to have to remove vessels/boilers/calorifiers and we thought we'd pretty much seen them all.
    Until this job.
    We have a horizontally mounted steel vessel approx 6' long with a diameter of around 2.5'.
    We have the job of cleaning & removing it. Straightforward we thought. Until we began cutting it up.
    It transpires that this 'hollow' vessel is actually 6 vessels one inside the other, each made using 5mm steel. Like a Russian doll if you will. It's taken 4 man days to get this cut into manageable sized bits and out of the basement.
    What seemed a regular job has turned into a nightmare. It must have gone around 1.5 ton and I have no idea how they got it down there (it was in a tight spot).
    Does anyone know what this vessel is/was and what it's job was?
    Its the first time we have come across one of these bad boys in 25 years.
    We will sure be on our guard in future. And before you ask, yes, it's an 'extra' lol.



    20160915_151007-1024x768.jpg
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2016
  2. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    There are inlets/outlets on outside cylinder, are the other cylinders sealed or have connections to allow water/steam to flow through them.(can see pipe far end connecting to some of the cylinders.)

    No makers name on the beast,surprise there isn't one some where.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2016
  3. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    I'm not entirely sure as it wasn't me that cut it into pieces, but I can say that the layers were in pairs (other than the main outer vessel).
    So as you view the insides, the first two inner vessels were joined at each end. Kind of like what you get in a vacuum flask. Each two successive layers were also formed like this.
     
  4. Presumably some sort of early heat-exchanger? A bit like a modern thermalstore?

    I dunno.
     
  5. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    So there were in total 7 layers...
    One outer layer and three pairs of inner ones
     
  6. Were there separate pipes leading to the inner cylinders, or were they sealed off?
     
  7. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Some type of old hot/cold water or steam accumulator?
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2016
  8. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    I'm gonna ask the guys who dismantled it.
     
  9. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    Ok so that pipe coming in at the 10 o'clock position in the photo connected to each inner cylinder.
     
  10. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    I think you are correct in that it seems to be some kind of ancient heat exchanger.
     
  11. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member

    Unless it had been embossed, any printed identification would have been removed during the asbestos removal process.
     
  12. parahandy

    parahandy Screwfix Select

  13. oogzy100

    oogzy100 New Member


    Yep, that looks pretty much it.
    What a monster.

    I'm no engineer but I thought the idea of a heat exchanger is to allow one heat source to heat another without mixing the source of each... Most I have seen have thinner metal inside to allow faster heat transfer.
    This beast had no wall less than 5mm. Must have been not the best concept.

    Cheers all for yr input
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2016
  14. Every forum needs a resident smartas :D.

    (And here was me thinking it was KIAB :rolleyes:)




    hee hee heee
     
  15. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Bar steward!:p


    Heat storage accumulator
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2016
  16. Yup - you've been demoted to 2nd-class SA. :p

    Hail the new chief!
     
  17. teabreak

    teabreak Screwfix Select

    Thank goodness it didn't turn out to be an early experimental nuclear reactor!
     
  18. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select


    Otherwise we'd have to send T Blair in to remove it, that or get the French and Chinese to recommission it. :D:D:D
     
    teabreak likes this.
  19. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Looks the right shape and size for a steam central heating boiler
     
  20. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select


    Definitely Steam.
     
    KIAB likes this.

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