Report - TATA Chemicals Soda Ash Works & Winnington B Control Room (April 2019)

[xplorer.x]

Glad to see it's all still there and accessible. Cracking report.

Thanks a lot Andy.

 

[xplorer.x]

Nice report dude

Cheers man. Much appreciated.

 

[xplorer.x]

Really great photos and nice report.

With my Chemical Engineer's hat on though, for your own sake please don't enter plant units like the rotary drier: technically, they're classified as confined spaces and there's a good reason why there's a whole swathe of HSE legislation governing entry (https://www.hse.gov.uk/confinedspace/). Bottom line: confined spaces can harbour low oxygen / toxic atmospheres and they continue to kill a number of people every year, even in this day and age. I was very close to someone who died in exactly those circumstances. Unless you're 100% sure that there's a safe atmosphere (i.e. have Drager tested or have reliable, calibrated, gas monitoring with you), please don't enter!! Confined spaces also extend to any area in which a hazardous atmosphere can accumulate - for example depressions below ground level (pipe trenches / bunds / etc. ), even if they are open to the sky.

I don't want to detract from your report - I no longer work in industry (ex ICI down the road at Runcorn) and it's great to see places like this that I heard about, that we relied upon on our site, but never got to work at - but neither do I want others reading it to think that it's OK to unwittingly expose themselves to significant hazard levels. Please keep safe.

Thanks. I'll take your advice into account in the future. Didn't really see the danger at the time.

 

[crashed.out]

Thanks. I'll take your advice into account in the future. Didn't really see the danger at the time.

No worries - it's not an obvious danger unless it's something you've had to deal with / work with. Chances are, in this case, it's fine. But it only takes one time that it isn't fine to cause a real problem.

But great to see pics of the place, and thank you for posting them up!

 

[xplorer.x]

No worries - it's not an obvious danger unless it's something you've had to deal with / work with. Chances are, in this case, it's fine. But it only takes one time that it isn't fine to cause a real problem.

But great to see pics of the place, and thank you for posting them up!

No problem dude.

 

[Korbanter]

Quality Report that.

 

[Dj1985]

Great report and pictures. The control room for the ash plants (light and heavy ash) was removed in the early 90's when the wet side, dry side and towers and filter plant control rooms were centralised to a modern dcs system in the bungalow type building between the plant and the offices (mond house) leaving just the old style mimic boards.
The large vessle you entered was a Secheur which is french for drier if i remember rightly. I worked as an op at winnington for a few years before it closed down, not in the ash plant but gained a general understanding of the ammonia soda process.

 

[Calamity Jane]

How did I miss this, superb. Cracking stuff, great report :

 

[efiste2]

Still a HUGE Site but dissappearing rapidly...........

 

[xplorer.x]

Still a HUGE Site but dissappearing rapidly...........

Yeah seen that. Still will be a while until the site is flattened though I reckon.

 

[zombizza]

If they just throw away that control room, ill be so mad