It is a commercial parts washer. Maintained by a service / hazmat company. Same size barrel and tub as what most people have.
I've never looked at the heating element ( maybe I should ) but the whole unit runs on 110v. Maybe dropping in a diesel engine heater? A google search turned up interesting stuff. This looked like a decent idea as long as you don't spill in the heater element connections.
http://www.motorgeek.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26069