What is a hydrogenic flame, what is it for and how it works

Have you ever seen in the movies a character use a blue flame to cut an armored door during a robbery or to pay a space rocket? That jet of fire is not science fiction: it’s called oxidical flamealso known as Fiamma or or And it is a truly existing and fundamental tool in many crafts. In a nutshell, it is one Very powerful flame that is obtained by mixing two gases – acetylene And oxygen – and lighting them precisely. This combination can reach temperatures very close to 3 500 ° Ca temperature capable of melting metals and much above a classic fireplace wood fire. Think: the lava of a volcano arrives “only” at 1 200 ° C it can be said so it is warmer than a volcano! The flame or flame, generated by the torch, is used for weldcut and model metals And it is essential for construction sites, mechanical workshops and even workshops.

Flames with oxygen and hydrogen

In fact, at the beginning of the twentieth century, a mixture of hydrogen And oxygenfrom which the name “Fiamma Ossi-hydrica“, obtained through water electrolysis. This combination produced a very clean flame, but but less powerfulwith a maximum temperature of about 2 660 ° C, lower than that reached by the flame or or With the introduction of theacetylenewhich burns at higher temperatures, the use of hydrogen as a fuel has decreased, making the flame or the or standard For many industrial applications.

What is the oxidic flame does

Imagine turning on a kitchen stove: rotate the knob and feel a small “click” that triggers the spark. But this alone is not enough: to generate the flame with which we cook we also need the gaswhich feeds the flame as fuel and the oxygen of the air, the combure.

The flame or flame or the same logic works, but but bigger And in a more controlled way. Two gases are used: acetylene (C_₂H_₂), an flammable gas that burns easily, e oxygen, The combureant again. In this case, however, oxygen is at pure state And not coming from the air as in the stove (where it is mixed with other inert gases, such as nitrogen): in this way, the flame will be more powerful and will free more heat.

Acetylene and oxygen generate a flame small but very powerful, perfect for cutting or melt the metal. From the reaction between the two, hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) are initially formed, which react again to give the final products: water vapor e carbon dioxide (Co₂), together with a heat wave!

All this takes place in milliseconds, inside a small blue flame that we can distinguish Three different areas:

• The internal coneclose to the tip: it is the most “intense” part;
• there intermediate areawhere complete combustion takes place;
• there outdoor areavisible and wider, where the heat spreads.

What is used for oxidical flame for

To understand in what and how the oxidical flame is used, just think of all the situations in which you need to merge, cut or adjust Resistant metal pieces, from the construction of a bridge to the repair of the bodywork of a truck, but is also used to adjust huge water pipes (just open them with a net cut) or make metal structures in factory.

In addition, as reported by a 2021 study, through the flame it is also possible treat metal surfaces. There is talk of Flame Hardening: the surface of a piece of steel is warm and then it cools quickly. The result? A metal harderperfect for resisting wear without changing the whole piece. It is like “toasting” the bread crust leaving the heart soft.

A delicate balance

Use the flame or or But it is not simple How to turn on the stove of the house. Precision and experience are needed. Too much acetilene? The flame becomes “smoky” and dirty the metal. Too much oxygen? The flame is aggressive and risks damaging what you touch.

An expert welder knows how to look at the flame and say: “Ok, this is perfect!” Or: “There is too much oxygen, I have to adjust the flow.” Again, it is like adjusting the flame of the stove while cooking: too high burns, too low does not cook. But here, making mistakes means risking ruin a steel tube Or not to be able to cut a thick slab!

Adjusting well exposure time, Flame distanceAnd quantity of gasyou can surprisingly control the quality of work. Indeed, you can measure the hardness obtained on the surface of the metal. In short, behind that blue flame there is experimentation and practice. It’s not just a film “torch”!