Virtual Gas Museum

An accidental visitor to a traditional gasworks will see a tangle of pipes, some baffling geometrically-shaped installations and mystifying devices. Such a gas plant resembles an octopus with a thousand tentacles, which has crawled out of the canal at the edge of the city. What happens inside this tangle of pipes? What are the mysterious towers for?

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These silent companions of our daily lives are also evocative of global civilizational changes. Although today we associate stoves, heaters and refrigerators with electricity, in the 19th century they were powered by … gas. The introduction of these appliances to people’s homes heralded a lifestyle revolution that continues to this day.

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The history of gas meters is not only a story about the methods of calculating the volume of the fuel used but also a process of developing innovative business models. The old gas meters were a fulfilled business prophecy, announcing a new order of economic flows in the form of a user-network relationship, which is so prevalent today.

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Key events in the history of the gas industry in Poland and Europe.

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First bath heated with a gas water heater

This appliance is invented by an Englishman, Benjamin Waddy Maughan. Gas begins to find multiple new applications, and inventions include gas cookers, refrigerators, irons, coffee roasters, boilers, gas heaters and many more.

Gas light gains new brightness and colour

This is a clever invention of Carl Auer von Welsbach – a fabric mantle, made from cotton mesh impregnated with non-flammable compounds, which when heated by a gas flame emits a bright light without burning. This invention continues to be used today.

Natural gas discovered in the Podkarpacie region

The beginnings of natural gas in Poland are connected to crude oil extraction in the Podkarpacie region.

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Technology 29 September 2019

Podcast: Innovative applications and the future of natural gas

The latest podcast from the Virtual Gas Museum focuses on the technologies, innovation and future of natural gas applications.

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Technology 8 October 2019

Pre-paid systems in gas distribution. Is a pre-paid gas meter worth the money?

When we think of pre-paid billing solutions, cell phones come first to mind. However, pre-paid solutions for electrical power distribution have been around for several years now. The time has come for pre-paid distribution of natural gas to consumers.

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Optical fibre applications for gas pipeline diagnostics

Optical fibre measurements are applied in many areas of engineering. Optical fibres can help detect and pinpoint gas leaks. They can also be applied in strain measurement of gas pipelines.

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