Model of the M.A.N. gasometer

This item from the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation Gas Museum collection is a model of the gasometer installed in the Sant Martí de Provençals (Barcelona) gas factory, which was put in operation on 16 January 1940. Colloquially, the gasometer was known as the M.A.N. because these initials correspond to the German company employed to install them, Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg, A. G. In 1992, the Sant Martí factory was shut down and the facilities, including the gasometer, were open to visitors for the last time.

The M.A.N. gasometer was a dry-seal type and consisted of a prism-shaped container with a 22-sided polygonal floor plan. There was a large metal disc with an airtight seal that moved up and down the container depending on the amount of manufactured gas that was being stored. The exterior structure of the gasometer was made from double plate with rivets, while the disc had a metal structure that did not change shape, despite handling pressures of between 120 and 130 millimetres, water gauge. The gasometer had a capacity of 100,000 m³ and the gas entered and exited through various pipes located at the bottom of the facility. To make maintenance easier and because it was 70 metres tall, the gasometer had two lifts, one on the outside without stops and one inside which was like a cage so that a visual inspection of the container could be carried out while it was fully operational. A staircase ran around the outside of the external lift and provided access to several walkways at different heights.