Question

Show the range of temperatures that can be achieved by burning acetylene under various conditions.

Answer 1

Combination of both pure oxygen (99.5%) and acetylene in proper proportions to yields a flame of about 3,480 degrees Celsius. Oxyacetylene the only gas mixture that will burn hot enough to cut steel. It is particularly useful for welding different metals underwater.

The chemical action of the oxyacetylene flame can be adjusted by changing the ratio of the volume of oxygen to acetylene. Three distinct flame settings are used, neutral, oxidizing and carburizing. Welding is generally carried out using the neutral flame setting, which has equal quantities of oxygen and acetylene. The oxidizing flame is obtained by increasing just the oxygen flow rate while the carburising flame is achieved by increasing acetylene flow in relation to oxygen flow.

Oxyacetylene equipment is portable and easy to use. Oxygen and acetylene gases are stored under pressure in steel cylinders. The cylinders are fitted with regulators and flexible hoses, which lead to the blowpipe. Specially designed safety devices such as flame traps are fitted between the hoses and the cylinder regulators. The flame trap prevents flames generated by a flashback from reaching the cylinders.