What on earth is this? Not boaty but definitely practical.

[Stressed]

Apologies for a non boaty question but I suspect someone here might recognise this apparatus found in a property rented by a friend.

They've got carte Blanche to eBay it. But as what?

Thank you!

 

[aslabend]

mains Water quality sampling rig?

 

[Stressed]

Could be. Possibly former property of local council. Worth anything?

 

[vyv_cox]

Don't think it's for water. Air, or some other gas, appears to be bubbled through those traps, apparently through two liquids in series.

 

[Hydrozoan]

Yes, I agree with Vyv.

My guess is an old sampling system for ambient air quality monitoring - possibly for black smoke (on filters, the brass cylinders being filter holders?) and sulphur dioxide (reaction of the SO2 in filtered air with a peroxide solution in the Drechsel bottles, to from sulphuric acid for subsequent measurement by titration).

Archived description here:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...re/smkman/sch2.html+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

for which BS 1747 Part 6 1983 (1990) would describe the equipment for the SO2 (though perhaps a single, rather than multiple, train might be described?).

PS Not sure about Vyv's two liquids in series, though - I'm struggling to follow the tubing! I'm also assuming that it's likely to be for Black Smoke and SO2 together, as I think these were typically both measured routinely. But it could have been for just SO2 (or other gases as well perhaps if Vyv is right about the series) as that required filtration first to remove particulates anyway.

 

[VicS]

yes i think i would agree some form of gas or air analysis equipment.

I reckon Hydrazoan has nailed it


Not sure why there would be multiple channels in the same case if it's for environmental measurements..........daily observation perhaps?

 

[aslabend]

I say water sampling because I've used something similar. The units work by taking a sample every X minutes (depending on timer setting). A certain volume of fluid passes through the filter papers (in the metal blocks) to test for particulates and a small sample of water is gathered in each bottle to be later tested for Chemical/we beasties etc in a lab.

Could be gas sampler that works a similar way as the tubes look a bit wimpy.

 

[Hydrozoan]

yes i think i would agree some form of gas or air analysis equipment.

I reckon Hydrazoan has nailed it


Not sure why there would be multiple channels in the same case if it's for environmental measurements..........daily observation perhaps?

Thanks for the vote of confirmation - I hope you're right! Multiple channels perhaps for replicate sampling, though 8 would seem too many for that!

I notice that the archived methodology I linked has at the bottom "Site prepared by the National Environmental Technology Centre, part of AEA Technology, on behalf of the UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions". AEA Technology as was used to produce national air emissions air quality reports for government, and is now part of Ricardo-AEA. An email and photo to one of Ricardo-AEA’s air quality team http://www.ricardo-aea.com/cms/meet-the-team-5/ might get you a more definitive answer. Or if you know it was once the property of the local council, you could ask their environmental team.

 

[vyv_cox]

PS Not sure about Vyv's two liquids in series, though - I'm struggling to follow the tubing! I'm also assuming that it's likely to be for Black Smoke and SO2 together, as I think these were typically both measured routinely. But it could have been for just SO2 (or other gases as well perhaps if Vyv is right about the series) as that required filtration first to remove particulates anyway.

After a more detailed examination I see it is eight in parallel. I had thought the manifold upper right was simply elbows. Looks like the blue device lower left might be a small compressor, drawing air in via the manifold to the brass (filter?) first, then bubbling through the liquid.

 

[sealegsjim]

Yes, I agree with Vyv.

My guess is an old sampling system for ambient air quality monitoring - possibly for black smoke (on filters, the brass cylinders being filter holders?) and sulphur dioxide (reaction of the SO2 in filtered air with a peroxide solution in the Drechsel bottles, to from sulphuric acid for subsequent measurement by titration).

Archived description here:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...re/smkman/sch2.html+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

for which BS 1747 Part 6 1983 (1990) would describe the equipment for the SO2 (though perhaps a single, rather than multiple, train might be described?).

PS Not sure about Vyv's two liquids in series, though - I'm struggling to follow the tubing! I'm also assuming that it's likely to be for Black Smoke and SO2 together, as I think these were typically both measured routinely. But it could have been for just SO2 (or other gases as well perhaps if Vyv is right about the series) as that required filtration first to remove particulates anyway.

Yes you are correct. It is an 8 port SO2/particulate sampler used by local authorities in the national air quality programme run by Warren Springs

 

[Hydrozoan]

Thanks. Could you please explain the eight ports and how they were used?

 

[sealegsjim]

Thanks. Could you please explain the eight ports and how they were used?

They had 8 ports simply to save time for the EHO (more normally a student EHO) The filters didn't need changing for a week instead of daily with the single port apparatus An 8 port valve directed the air sample to each individual filter daily.

 

[Lakesailor]

So it's not a crystal meth factory in a suitcase?

 

[macd]

...is now part of Ricardo-AEA. An email and photo to one of Ricardo-AEA’s air quality team http://www.ricardo-aea.com/cms/meet-the-team-5/.

...founded by the great Harry Ricardo, inventer of octane ratings (and much else) -- and thus, by some reckonings, one of the culprits of air pollution. What goes around comes around.

 

[Hydrozoan]

They had 8 ports simply to save time for the EHO (more normally a student EHO) The filters didn't need changing for a week instead of daily with the single port apparatus An 8 port valve directed the air sample to each individual filter daily.

Thanks – the eight port valve being the blue device on on the right (I can’t see any cabling to it so wasn’t sure how it functioned). I’m presuming from your reply that it switched the inlet to one of the eight lines each day, but the (peristaltic?) pump just pumped all eight tubes continuously.

...founded by the great Harry Ricardo, inventer of octane ratings (and much else) ... .

Indeed, though you have omitted his knighthood! Not to mention Dolphin engines in fishing boats, I believe – to give the thread a more nautical flavour!

 

[macd]

Indeed, though you have omitted his knighthood! Not to mention Dolphin engines in fishing boats, I believe – to give the thread a more nautical flavour!

In no way was I trying to diminish a great man, but he was plain 'Harry' when he founded the company in 1915, 30 years before his knighthood.
Incidentally, his biography is a great read: long out of print but sometimes available in libraries (assuming there still are such things).

 

[Hydrozoan]

In no way was I trying to diminish a great man, but he was plain 'Harry' when he founded the company in 1915, 30 years before his knighthood.
Incidentally, his biography is a great read: long out of print but sometimes available in libraries (assuming there still are such things).

No, I didn't get that impression - and thanks, I'll go look for his biography!

 

[Adamastor]

What Lakesailor said! I thought it was some sort of sample milking machine- you know- the sort of apparatus that would produce those wretched little tublets of quasi-milk that are impossible to open and have a built-in mechanism that squirts the milk all over your flies when you have to be seen in public. That blue box is the thing that actually makes the milk taste like floor wax before it is hermetically sealed!

 

[Hugh Foulis]

Oh blimey, I havent seen one of those for over 30 years. Its an 8 day air sampler, 8 to allow for bank holidays. Air is drawn through the filter paper then bubbled through a reagent in the bottles. Filters are placed under a reflectometer to measure the relative darkness of the stain that is left. The bottles are a measure of SO2. Back at the lab one adds an indicator liquid and then neutralises the acid until the indicator goes clear, amount of alkili used gives an indication of the acidity. I was that student EHO and there were 3 sampling stations that needed serviced. Great for mileage and a morning doing the tests. Results went to Warren Spring every month

 

[Stressed]

Brilliant. Thanks all.

Probably not worth a whole lot then?