Chemical Industry

The Salt Union saltworks at Weston Point, Runcorn, viewed across the empty Delamere Dock. This 850,000 tonne per annum vacuum salt plant was sold to Ineos Enterprises in 2006. Products include: Undried vacuum salt - a key raw material in the manufacture of chlorine and caustic soda. Pure dried vacuum salt - an important ingredient for the food industry as well as for processes ranging from shampoo manufacture to animal nutrition and water treatment. Granular and white tablet salt for water softening. Packed de-icing salts.

This plant plant has a capacity to treat 8.5 million cubic metres (300 million cubic feet) per day at standard conditions of sour gas from offshore. The gas is brought ashore via a 51 centimetres (20 inches) diameter, 33 km long pipeline. The plant separates methanol (used for hydrate inhibition), water and condensate from the gas stream. The gas is sweetened with an amine solvent to remove sulphur compounds down to 3.3 ppm hydrogen sulphide and 35 ppm mercaptans. The hydrocarbon dew-point of the gas is reduced by mechanical refrigeration to a quality suitable for pipeline transportation. The treated gas is piped to Connah's Quay Power Station at 30 bar via a 27 km pipeline. Any gas surplus to the fuel requirements of the power station is further treated and delivered to the Burton Point terminal of the National Transmission System. The site is owned by eni Liverpool Bay Operating Company Ltd, a subsidiary of eni UK Ltd. It is built near the site of a former colliery, which closed in August 1996. Approval for the site was given in February 1993, to be constructed by Hamilton Oil (of Denver, USA). BHP bought Hamilton Oil in 1991. The amount of gas to be brought onshore would be enough to provide electricity for half of Wales. Construction took place in 1994. eni bought BHP Billiton's interest in the Liverpool Bay Development in April 2014.

The US owned Cabot Carbon plant at Ellesmere Port produced carbon black using the oil furnace process. This is used in the production of tyres, toners, printing inks, plastics and coatings. The works was busy when I took this shot but was soon closed and production transferred to a cheaper location in China. It was Britain's largest producer of Carbon black. Everything has now been flattened.

William Blythe Ltd, founded in 1845 in Accrington, Lancashire is one of the longest surviving chemical businesses in the UK. Wm. Blythe Ltd started as a manufacturer of inorganic chemicals for the local textile industry, producing several products, including zinc sulphate for use in the production of Rayon and zinc chloride for use in batteries and for the dissolution of cellulose. By the turn of the century William Blythe was also manufacturing picric acid for use in the local dyestuffs industry. William Blythe’s business was founded on the manufacture of inorganic chemicals and over 170 years on the business manufactures exclusively inorganic chemicals based on a range of different elements with product applications as diverse as catalysis, semi-conductor manufacture, high speed printing and fire retarding polymers.

Soda ash storage hoppers at the Wallerscote works of what was Brunner Mond and Co, Northwich, Cheshire. Coaster used to load here at the wharf on the River Weaver. All now demolished with houses already built on much of the site of the Wallerscote works.

This plant plant has a capacity to treat 8.5 million cubic metres (300 million cubic feet) per day at standard conditions of sour gas from offshore. The gas is brought ashore via a 51 centimetres (20 inches) diameter, 33 km long pipeline. The plant separates methanol (used for hydrate inhibition), water and condensate from the gas stream. The gas is sweetened with an amine solvent to remove sulphur compounds down to 3.3 ppm hydrogen sulphide and 35 ppm mercaptans. The hydrocarbon dew-point of the gas is reduced by mechanical refrigeration to a quality suitable for pipeline transportation. The treated gas is piped to Connah's Quay Power Station at 30 bar via a 27 km pipeline. Any gas surplus to the fuel requirements of the power station is further treated and delivered to the Burton Point terminal of the National Transmission System. The site is owned by eni Liverpool Bay Operating Company Ltd, a subsidiary of eni UK Ltd. It is built near the site of a former colliery, which closed in August 1996. Approval for the site was given in February 1993, to be constructed by Hamilton Oil (of Denver, USA). BHP bought Hamilton Oil in 1991. The amount of gas to be brought onshore would be enough to provide electricity for half of Wales. Construction took place in 1994. eni bought BHP Billiton's interest in the Liverpool Bay Development in April 2014.

The Tessenderlo chemical plant at Ham specialises in phosphate chemicals, particularly for the agricultural sector.

CF Fertilisers is located on 124 acres of land close to the Manchester Ship Canal and consists of 1 Ammonia, 3 nitric acid plants with a further Nitrogen fertiliser plant and 3 compound lines. With approximately 400 employees, Ince produces 1 million tonnes of fertiliser per annum and supplies the key market sectors for grass and arable farming. The site manufactures nitrogenous fertiliser based on Ammonium Nitrate (Nitram®) and is the largest UK producer of True Granular Compound fertilisers (NPKS).

The wartime oil pipeline between Stanlow and Immingham ran through Poynton in Cheshire where there was a pumping station to boost the flow. At some point after the war the pipeline was realigned in this area and the pumping station abandoned. Remarkably the buildings have survived, this one containing a small office at the front and the blast wall protected space for the oil engines and pumps at the rear.

Gasholder at Anderlues. S.A. Cokeries et Houillères d'Anderlues first erected coke ovens in 1904 which were replaced by new ones in 1931. The works produced foundry coke and was one of the smallest and oldest coke by-product plants still operating in Belgium at the time of closure in November 2002.

Tanks at the extensive Collier industrial waste processing facility in Trafford Park.

A small corner of the Cargill plant at Trafford Park.

MAN waterless gasholder at Scunthorpe Steelworks. This is one of a number of gasholders still in use at the site.

Winter sunshine on the Brunner Mond soda ash plant at Winnington viewed from Winnington Bridge. Soda ash production has long ended here and the limekilns and much other plant has been demolished.

I spotted this interesting chemical plant in Fushun but had no idea just what was going on there. I am now wondering if this is something to do with the large shale oil processing plant that exists there. The two plants use the modified Fushun retort system and produce between them around 350,000 tonnes of oil per year. One plant has 120 retorts and the other has 100. The Fushun process is classified as an internal combustion technology but also includes external gas heating. It uses a vertical cylindrical type shaft retort, with outside steel plate lined with inner fire bricks. The retort has height over 10 metres (33 ft) and its inner diameter is about 3 metres (9.8 ft). Whilst these are clearly not the retorts I am wondering whether what is seen here is something to do with further refining of the oil produced. If anyone can assist with an explanation I shall be very grateful. I have now been advised that these are delayed cokers which are used to make coker gas oil and petroleum coke. They are worked in pairs and the derrick structures at the top are for de-coking one side while the other side is in use. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_coker

A view from Paull towards the storage tanks of the Saltend Chemical Park . BP Chemicals Ltd established Saltend Chemicals Park in 2009. Today a range of organisations operate on the 370 acre site, sharing an established infrastructure and extensive provision of services, feedstocks and utilities

National Grid gas storage site at Partington in Manchester. This was once the site of a large town gas works to which this was a main entrance. Since my visit the site has been closed and completely cleared but the gates remain.

The former Crosfield's site at at Warrington is now operated by PQ Corporation after the Ineos Silicas business was merged with it. The site produces a range of inorganic chemicals.