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Glasgow, Provanmill Chemical Works

Chemical Works (Modern)

Site Name Glasgow, Provanmill Chemical Works

Classification Chemical Works (Modern)

Canmore ID 277690

Site Number NS66NW 459

NGR NS 62367 66932

NGR Description Centred

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/277690

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Administrative Areas

  • Council Glasgow, City Of
  • Parish Glasgow (City Of Glasgow)
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District City Of Glasgow
  • Former County Lanarkshire

Archaeology Notes

NS66NW 459 centred 623 669

For adjacent Provan Gasworks, see NS66NW 30.00.

Works [NAT]

OS 1:1250 map, 1960.

Activities

Publication Account (1904)

'The residual products works, which have been built and equipped to del with the ammoniacal liquor and tar from the gas-works, are rovided with ample storage accommodation.

A 'Scott' vacuum plant foe the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia, has been laid down. This plant is in two units, each capable of making nine tons of sulphate pre day.

Five tar stills, with condensers, &c., have been erected, but the works have been designed so that this number can be extended to twenty. The various fractions of the distillates are run into receivers, from which they will be pumped to the refining plant for the manufacture of benzole, naptha, carbolic acid, &c.

The bezole and carbolic acid plant is in course of erection.

Extensive pitch ponds and railway sidings have been provided, also convenient offices and laboratories.'

Corporation of Glasgow Gas Department, 1904

Publication Account (1949)

Historical

The Tar and Ammonia Liquor produced during the process of gas manufacture is dealt with in the Chemical Works , which adjoins each of the four Gas Works (Provan, Temple and Dawsholm, Dalmarnock and Tradeston).

When Dalmarnock Gas Works was reopened for gas making late in 1915, the manager there superintended the working of the chemical works, the other three were leased to private firms, to whom the tar and liquor was charged at a price fixed monthly by an independent arbiter, and based o the tons of coal carbonised. ..ultimately...decided not to renew the contractor's leases then they expired in 1920.

On May 1st 1919, the first manager of the Chemical Works was appointed ...The total number of employees on 31st May 1948, was 286.

Description of Processes in the Chemical Section

General

The liquid by-products from the carbonisation of coal consist of ammoniacal liquor, tar, and the crude benzole extracted from the gas. The liquor and the tar are delivered by the several Gas Works into large underground tanks, called 'wells', of which the total capacity in the department is one and a half million gallons. Here a natural process of separation of the two liquids takes place, following which they are pumped to storage tanks, to undergo further separation by settling, and to await subsequent treatment. The Department can store 4,600,000 gallons of crude tar and liquor.

Ammoniacal Liquor

From the liquor is produced sulphate of ammonia for fertilising purposes.

Sulphate of Ammonia Plant

The original plant at Provan Chemical Works for the production of sulphate of ammonia had a guaranteed production of 25 tons of sulphate of ammonia per day. A new plant will shortly be in operation with a guaranteed output of 40 tons per day.

Tar

All four of the Chemical Works are fully equipped for the production , from crude tar, of refined road tars...but Provan Works alone can also deal with distilled products with the object of producing motor benzol, refined naphthas, , pyridine, phenol, ortho- and meta/para cresols, xylenols and high boiling cresylic acids, creosotes, black varnish etc. A very large quantity of mixed tar and bitumen is also prepared for road surfacing purposes at Dawsholm and Provan Works.

Distillation

The crude tar is subjected to distillation in stills, the capacity of each being 17 tons. The fuel used is coke breeze, and the residue remaining in the stills at the end of the operation is pitch. During the distillation the volatile products are separated into 'cuts' or fractions in accordance with thei composition of the use to which the fractions are to be put. The first 'cut' is the source of motor benzol and the naphthas, the second, of naphthalene and tar acids, whilst the later 'cuts' give the high boiling tar acids so highly prized as disinfectants.

Tar Acid Extraction

The condensates are naphtha or light oil, middle oil or heavy oil or creosote. When not required for sale as such, these liquids are treated for the removal of their tar acid content, and in the case of the naphthas , for their pyridine content as well. The oil from which the acid has been removed is known as 'spent' oil. That from the naphtha 'cut' goes forward for treatment for the removal of pyridine and subsequent rectification., that from the middle oil cut 'cut' is allowed to settle in pans to allow naphthalene to separate, while that from heavy oil is available for immediate use or sale.

The recovered tar acids are distilled, under vacuum, to yield the phenols and cresols used in 'plastics' manufacture and xylenols and high boiling point tar acids used in preparing sheep dips and disinfectants.

Pyridine Extraction

The tar -acids-free-naphtha fraction is washed with dilute sulphuric acid to form pyridine sulphate solution from which the addition of ammonia sets free the pyridine bases. These are dried and the dry bases distilled to give the commercial qualities of pyridine.

Naphtha Rectification

The tar acid and pyridine base free naphthas as well as the crude benzole from the coal gas are treated with concentrated sulphuric acids to destroy ...unsaturated bodies present, and are rectified by distillation through the fractionisation columns. Owing to the highly inflammable nature of the substances the when distillation is effected by steam. The products are motor benzol, tolulol, solvent naphtha, xylol, and high flash naphtha, all of which find application in industry.

Despatch of Products

Facilities are provided for the efficient handling of finished products. Sulphate of ammonia , naphthalene and agricultural lime are despatched in bags, ..[the lime] also in rail wagons and carts.; pitch goes out in bags, casks or rail wagons., while the remainder of the products being in liquid form leave in barrels, drums and road and rail tanks. The Department itself owns railway tank wagons which are used to transport material from the smaller works to Provan for further treatment, and also for the delivery of tar, creosote, tar acids, etc t customers. For the transport of tar and tar bitumen compounds to quarries etc. , the Department operates four motor road tanks each of 1,000 gallons capacity."

Glasgow Gas Department, 1949

Note (5 May 2017)

Provan Chemical Works was built to process the bye products of the adjacent Provan Gasworks (inaugurated 1904). Owned by Glasgow Corporation, it was leased to private contractors (until c.1920).

The chemical works were demolished once the Provan site ceased to produce gas from coal (1970s) and to become a gas holder station for natural or North Sea gas. The chemical works were still partly in existence by c.1974 as mentioned in John Hume's 'The industrial archaeology of Glasgow'. The site is now cleared.

Provan No.3 gasholder (1970) sits partly on what were the pitch beds at the southern end of the site.

Information from HES Survey and Recording Section (MMD), 5 May 2017.

JR Hume (1974); Corporation of Glasgow Gas Department (c.1912).

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