Acetylene gas generator

Acetylene Features& Application

Acetylene is a highly flammable, colorless gas with a slight garlic odor used extensively in conjunction with oxygen for welding, brazing, and cutting of steel. It is also used in several other industrial applications including face hardening of large steel parts and radiocarbon dating. Oxy-acetylene welding and cutting is, however, the single largest consumer of acetylene accounting for approximately 20% of global consumption. It is typically in these applications where acetylene generators are used.

Notice

The installation and use of an acetylene generator should always be carried out by qualified personal due to the ever present danger of explosion that surrounds the production and use of the gas. The acetylene generator should be housed well away from the area where the work is carried out, no lights or naked flames should be allowed near the generator, and the building should be steam heated. Care should be taken to ensure the highest levels of purity possible in the carbide supply as phosphate contamination is common in carbide and can cause the simultaneous production of hydrogen phosphide gas. This contaminant may have an adverse effect on the metals welded with oxy-acetylene systems. Special attention also needs to be paid to pressure control in an acetylene generator as the gas decomposes explosively at pressures exceeding 15 pounds per square inch (PSI).