[modeleng] Re: Acetylene Fire
- From: IAN BRAMBLE <ian.bramble@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:31:37 +0100 (BST)
The Lynton & Barnstaple carriages had an acetylene generator mounted on the end
of the carriages, which created acetylene gas by the process of dripping water
on to calcium carbide through a needle valve, as described by Dave. The
acetylene gas was then supplied to the lamps through copper pipes run along the
the roofs of the carriage. They used one generator to supply two carriages,
connecting them together by a rubber tube.
Go to
http://www.009.cd2.com/lynton_and_barnstaple_modelling/L&B%20Coach%20Notes.pdf and
scroll down to page 11.
Ian
________________________________
From: davebeaman <davebeaman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, 27 June, 2011 0:23:03
Subject: [modeleng] Re: Acetylene Fire
Somewhere, in all the junk my Old Man and I collect is an acetylene lamp. A
pushbike lamp, it is around 40s vintage. Solid Calcium Carbide was put in a
lower resevoir and water dripped on it from a higher... from what I
remember!!!!! Water and calcium carbide produced Acetylene to light the lamp
but I can't remember what the burner is like.
As for exploding cylinders, I worked as a contractor for BOC at their
Bilston works, that's where they bottked the said gas. At the back of the
works was where they dumped the old knackered cylinders and after a few
youths accessed the site over the railway and though the scrapyard, they lit
a big bonfire under 10 of them. Only one actually went off, but the brass
valve was found in Wolverhampton, where it had gone through a sex shop
window in Horsley Fields. I wasn't there, thank goodness, but I have heard
this tale from several BOC workers.
Dave.
----- Original Message -----
From: "R.L. Roebuck" <rlr20@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 3:13 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Re: Acetylene Fire
> Wasn't there some issue in days gone by with acetylene lamps which were
> fed via copper pipes, as acetylene reacts with it to form explosive
> compounds?
>
> I have a vague memory of reading some mention of it in a book about the
> Lyton and Barnstable.
>
>
> Yours,
>
>
> Rich.
>
> On Sun, 26 Jun 2011, Jesse Livingston wrote:
>
>> When acetylene bottles get too hot as in a burning building, a reaction
>> takes place inside the bottle. Even though there is no oxygen present in
>> the bottle, the reaction can cause the bottle to explode. It may be
>> within
>> a few minutes or several hours before the situation becomes critical.
>> Cooling the bottles with fire hoses can halt the reaction and prevent
>> explosion, but who is going to stand that close to what is essentially a
>> ticking time bomb?
>>
>> These was a home workshop fire about a 1/4 mile from our house and the
>> owner
>> warned the local fire department about the presence of an acetylene
>> bottle,
>> They had hardly backed away when the bottle exploded and struck the fire
>> truck's front fender (front wing to you Brits). I imagine that the local
>> volunteer fire department kept the bottle as exhibit "A" in don't get
>> close
>> to a fire that has an acetylene bottle in it unless you have your fire
>> truck
>> between yourself and the location of the bottle.
>>
>> I am sure the BBC, like all news services, got its facts wrong as regards
>> the acetylene burning under water, but it could do that as long as it was
>> sealed in the bottle. Acetylene can be very tricky stuff which is why
>> your
>> Acetylene gauges have a red line at about 15PSIG. Over 15 psi, it can
>> become extremely unstable because it is no longer absorbed in acetone and
>> whatever that spongy material inside the bottle is.
>>
>> Oh, BTW: Acetylene bottles sometimes make a warning sound before they
>> blow
>> up so if you hear your bottle "whistling", get heck away from it and
>> especially do not try to move it by rolling it out of your shop.
>>
>> Jesse in Troy, TN
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Roger Mason" <roger.g3tdm@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 3:51 AM
>> Subject: [modeleng] Acetylene Fire
>>
>>
>>> Hi Folks,
>>>
>>> The other day there was a serious fire at the docks in Falmouth.
>>> The fire involved the store of acetylene. Various estimates put the
>>> amount of gas stored as 300 cylinders to a few tanks. So it is
>>> difficult to know just how much gas was involved. The docks do a lot
>>> of repair and construction work, so there is always a demand for lots
>>> of oxy-acetylene work around the docks.
>>>
>>> The Fire Services evacuated a large area around the docks. Of
>>> course all this activity caught the attention of the local BBC radio
>>> station. They reported that the main problem was that acetylene burned
>>> under water, so although the Fire Brigade were pouring gallons of water
>>> onto the fire it was claimed that this would not extinguish the fire.
>>>
>>> I have never heard of acetylene being able to burn under water. I
>>> can imagine that when mixed with oxygen in a torch it will burn under
>>> water, but acetylene on its own?
>>>
>>> Can anyone give a definitive answer to this one please?
>>>
>>>
>>> Roger Mason, in St. Agnes.
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>>
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