Acetylene bottles

The question about using empty gas bottles has prompted a question...

Is it possible to purchase (in UK) a similar size acetylene bottle as shown in the link to B & Q?

To my knowledge, acetylene bottles are hired out but the size of bottle would last me 10 lifetimes or possibly longer. I would only want the small bottle to try and run an A.G.E. (Atmospheric Gas Engine). Butane or Propane do not work because of the limited ignition range compared to Town/Illuminating Gas, which of course is no longer available. Acetylene is the nearest equivalent.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

I'm not sure if acetylene bottles are available for sale in the UK. One potential issue is that you're not actually getting a bottle with just compressed gas in it.

When it is compressed acetylene has an unfortunate habit of exploding. So in an acetylene bottle the gas is dissolved in acetone. To stop the liquid sloshing around, and being expelled along with the gas, the liquid it held in a porous matrix - usually agamassan. This is why acetylene bottles are disproportionately heavy. I rent all my bottles - acetylene, oxygen and argon.

There is one exception - I own the oxygen bottle in my glider, but it's up to me to get it tested every five years.

Andrew

For testing your little engine it may be easier to make your own acetylene

Petzl still seem to make acetylene lamps and this generator

Calcium Carbide seems to be readily available.

I have a hankering to make an atmospheric gas engine (some time )

HTH,

Rod

Thanks for those links, Rod. Could be worth a closer look-see.

The Polly A.G.E. bears quite a reasonable resemblance to some of the original Schoenner engines. Discussion elsewhere said that Bruce Davey (the original designer) suggested 'Carburetted Propane' as a suitable gas to run the engine on but acetylene would also work.

Trying to find out what Carburetted Propane is, doesn't yield much on the internet. I believe that it is made by bubbling propane through petrol. Propane doesn't have a wide enough ignition window, but by modifying it in this way has the desired effect. Acetylene generation looks a lot simpler!

Dave
The Emerald Isle

Dave,

Please forgive me if this is bonkers, but ... are you sure that the term is not 'carbureted propane' [which is a reference to propane dispensed through a carburettor] ?

MichaelG.

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Example: http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/productDetail.htm?productNumber=Command%20PRO%20CH740NG

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/01/2017 15:38:20

Dave, I thought the AGE was originally designed for coal gas, suppose you could heat up a lump of coal and make that too.

Michael the engine in question could well be described as an "external fire" or flame ignition engine, the gas and air mix is drawn in by the piston and then ignited by an external flame. The big boys play about with hydrogen mixes to get the same sort of effect.

Edited By JasonB on 27/01/2017 16:03:41

Small acetyline cylinders are available to buy in the UK here:- **LINK**

and here:- **LINK**

Use the websites to find a local stockist.

Nick.

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Then yes, my observation is presumably bonkers.

MichaelG.

And here is an extract of my discussions elsewhere about the A.G.E.:

Tracked down the guy who designed the AGE and here's what he had to say on the subject of how it works, its origins and the 'fuelling issue':-

It is possible to get cans of gas that are a mixture of propane and acetylene, alternatively you can use an old motorbike lighting acetylene generator which uses carbide.

Another solution is to use carburetted propane, basically propane is bubbled through a container of petrol (all air being excluded). This widens the very narrow explosive range of propane from about 4:1 up to about 7:1. Acetylene will explode in a range from 4:1 up to 14:1

This was several years ago so I wonder whether acetylene/propane mix bottles are available, or indeed ever were.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

Nick's hobbyweld link looks like they have one close to you.

J

Thanks for those links, Nick. The first one looks to be about the largest that I would ever need, not being a gas welder.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

There have been designs for a number of acetylene generators over the years in ME, including two in volume one 1898, and I seem to remember one in the last 20/30 years.

When I was at a small country high school, the science lab was supplied with acetylene from a gas generator, and it worked well.

Ian S C