Gas Holder

A gas holder, also called a gasometer, is a large container that stores natural gas or town gas near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperature, with its volume expanding or contracting to match the amount of gas stored and a movable weighted cap regulating the pressure. The device originated with Antoine Lavoisier's apparatus for pneumatic chemistry, was adapted by James Watt Jr. for coal gas storage, and was incorporated into early gasworks by William Murdoch around 1798, after which telescopic, cup and dip seal, and spirally guided designs followed through the nineteenth century. Originally used to buffer daily swings in gas production and demand, gas holders today are used mainly for balancing purposes, keeping gas pipes operating within a safe pressure range rather than storing gas for later use, with the weight of the internal lift controlling mains pressure and providing back pressure for the gas making plant.