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Registered Member #2915
Joined: Fri Jun 11 2010, 10:41AM
Location: Malaysia!
Posts: 101
I was browsing through the random junk at the hardware store the other day when I came across this interesting find:
It was explained to me that this was some kind of Chinese lamp that used a chemical combined with water to generate a highly flammable (inflammable?) gas. This is the ‘Fuel’ :
When combined with even a small amount of water it starts fizzing violently and heats up rapidly due to (I assume) the generation of gas being an exothermic reaction.
When placed in the corresponding containers in the lamp the gas is funneled up through the ‘chimney’ and lit at the end, producing an surprisingly bright light
I personally thought this was really good, and, as it turns out, the natives of Malaysia have been using this method of lighting for over 50 years. This thing can last for literally 2-3 hours on one piece of 'fuel' about the size of a 5W ceramic resistor And any idea what the “Fuel†may be? I have no Idea, it seems to be a rock like consistency. When you break it in two you can see crystal like formations inside… Any thoughts?
Registered Member #543
Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992
The chemical is calcium carbide (CaC2), and the flammable gas is acetylene (C2H2).
Carbide acetylene lamps were routinely used as bicycle lights and miners' headlamps in England until the 1960s, because they will not fail if they get wet.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 1042
A bit of other info about this chemical, in addition to the description by Mary. the chemical also used to be a component of a novelty toy (and some serious big brothers) which are Salute Cannons, meaning they were meant to make a loud noise and not actually fire things (though it does work as a spud gun fuel). It is also known as "Bangsit" for its use in these things
Registered Member #543
Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992
The carbide lamp worked much in the same way as Kipps' famous H2S Apparatus - water drips down from the upper reservoir onto the rock hard calcium carbide chunks in the lower chamber. Acetyleme gas is generated by the reaction CaC2 + 2 H2O → C2H2 + Ca(OH)2, and the gas pressure forces the water back up into the reservoir, stopping the reaction until the pressure falls again when more water will feed by gravity into the reaction chamber. Eventually a point of equilibrium is reached whereby water descends and reacts anew to replace the gas lost from the chamber via the flame nozzle. If the flame is turned low, then more water will be forced back up into the reservoir, and vice versa.
The igniter fixed into the reflector worked in the same way as a petrol cigarette lighter - the steel wheel was spun with the thumb against a 'flint' - cerium Mischmetall, or ferrocerium, I think.
Registered Member #2463
Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
Location:
Posts: 1546
Acetylene generators were found in welding shops too before they discovered that the gas could be kept under pressure in a tank containing acetone. If you compres it otherwise it blows up. Our old welder had one standing in his shop.
Calcium carbide was sold in tins and evil children (so I've been told) used to dump it into catch basins on streets and toss a match in.
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Amazing chinese portable gas lamp!
