ICI Oil Works, Billingham - hydraulic accumulator

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 13 Oct 1990

ICI built a coal to petrol plant at Billingham (known as the Oil Works) in 1935 and this was of great use during WWII. In the post war era it was adapted to produce more mundane chemicals such as detergents and plasticisers. It was decommissioned in the early 1990s and demolished. This plant handled gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide at pressures up to 260 bar. It was essential that in the event of something going wrong that the various shut off valves could be closed quickly and reliably. This was done by an oil hydraulic system with energy stored in this raised accumulator, which is why it has a safety fence to stop anybody being under it at the wrong moment. Gravity has no off switch so the potential energy of this raised mass can be converted into the closing of the shut off valves in an emergency. Obviously, permission was needed to enter this plant and photography was another layer of difficulty as no batteries were allowed on site (even wrist watches were checked in to an office away from the plant). The pictures were therefore taken on guessed and bracketed exposures with an SLR that had some mechanical shutter speeds (B was mechanical). Unfortunately, this was very underexposed but conversion to monochrome and the equalise function have allowed me to produce something that can be recognised for what it is.

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