Acetylene to be banned?

[tigler]

Must admit i kind of agree with BS... for some work gas is and will probably remain a far superior method than any CURRENT alternative.

No pun intended !

 

[the snooper]

bbc news site 2010


BOC acetylene cylinder production to move from Bristol The firm says jobs could be lost as a result of the decision Continue reading the main story


The production of dissolved acetylene cylinders at the BOC Gases plant in Bristol is to stop following an explosion which injured three men.

Cylinder production has been on hold since the blast in January but the company has now taken the decision to end it permanently.

BOC said one of the reasons for the move was to ensure the safety of nearby businesses in St Annes.

It said a "number of jobs" could be lost as a result of the decision.

The company said another facility in Newport, Gwent, would also stop making acetylene cylinders.

BOC Gases denied reports that the entire Bristol plant would close.

Explosives Act

A statement from the firm said: "BOC recognises the expertise and commitment shown by employees at Bristol who have been involved in dissolved acetylene production for many years.

"However, it is not realistic to continue to have in such a built-up area a factory which has to meet the changed zoning requirements of the Explosives Act."

BOC said it would redevelop the site to allow it to "operate efficiently" and was talking to unions about job losses.

The company said it was looking at building a dissolved acetylene plant at Immingham in Lincolnshire.


was it ever built ?

 

[Shox Dr]

The company said it was looking at building a dissolved acetylene plant at Immingham in Lincolnshire.

was it ever built ?

Well Immingham is still there, unfortunately

 

[pedrobedro]

I first heard about this in the 80s even before I had the internet. Propane does not cut as cleanly or efficiently as acetylene it produces a lot more slag (and it's not as hot either I have used both since the 70s in various jobs) but you don't need a clean cut unless you are profile cutting and new processes have taken over from that, like water jet, laser and plasma. Throw a cylinder of either in a fire and the fire brigade will respond exactly the same, stay away.

 

[john224]

Well i hope they dont get rid of it as forked out £260 for level 1-2 at colledge last year,,,

 

[mike os]

No pun intended !

OMG... thats really scraping the barrel

 

[rikrobson]

Boyle proved that a gas pressure will ingrease when heat is applied. Therefore propane will increase in pressure the same as acetalyne.
It's the monolith inside the cylinder that is the problem. the mololith is there to make the unstable gas safe(r). unfortunately in a fire the monolith heats up. The cylinders can be cooled reducing the temp and pressure of the cylinder, but the monolith inside the C2H2 cylinder stays hot, which means that the gas is still very unstable and the fire brigades thermal cameras don't show the internal heat of the monolith. This leaves a time bomb waiting to happen.

It would be advisable to assume that you can't use C2H2 and opt for an alternative now reather than be foreced to in the near future.

 

[rtbcomp]

I wonder if acetylene generators will make a comeback?

 

[gordon stephenson]

I was told at a BOC depot 2 weeks ago while picking up the Volkszone bottle that acetylene was being brought in from abroad, But BOC were building a new plant in the UK.

 

[madkayaker]

I wonder if acetylene generators will make a comeback?

Time to start working on an adaptor for the end of the cutting torch to hold limestone and water then

 

[flashskate13]

i work at calor gas heard the same rumour, and our workshops acetylene has been removed and replace with oxy propane.

 

[PTvor]

it IS the pressure of acetylene thats the problem
go look on your bottle to see whats in it


15bar tops

It's not the pressure, it's the fact that the gas is unstable at more than 15psig and then decomposes, can explode, into carbon and hydrogen. That's why it can't be used underwater except at very shallow depths. The way they get the capacity in the bottle is to fill it with some inert spongy material and acetone, but filling acetylene cylinders is a much more involved business than oxygen say. If the cylinder is involved in a fire, it can explode hours later. It's a different thing to heating up a cylinder of argon in a fire and having the pressure rise possibly cause the cylinder to burst.

http://www.esfrs.org/businessSafety/acetylene.shtml

In France you can buy oxy-acetylene sets in some of the DIY sheds. I get the impression that the British authorities have gone a bit overboard with H&S. As for a ban, I doubt it, but if you want to use it and stay within the law and stay insured, it gets harder and more expensive.

 

[madkayaker]

Interesting reading that and the idea of keep it near the exit! Will have to add our bottles to the fire roll call....

 

[chunkolini]

Interesting stuff and no definitive answer.
Sounds as though it is on it's way out.
What would you need to convert to oxy propane, I use it almost exclusively for brazing.
I heard to mates discussing it and their theory is that proane is 'too dirty for brazing and welding' are they talking fromage?

 

[rtbcomp]

Time to start working on an adaptor for the end of the cutting torch to hold limestone and water then

You'd be better off with calcium carbide rather than limestone (calcium carbonate). You could use limestone in a CO2 generator for MIG though

 

[mike os]

I get the impression that the British authorities have gone a bit overboard with H&S.

WHAT?

HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!

they would never, ever do a thing like that

 

[mike os]

Interesting stuff and no definitive answer.
Sounds as though it is on it's way out.
What would you need to convert to oxy propane, I use it almost exclusively for brazing.
I heard to mates discussing it and their theory is that proane is 'too dirty for brazing and welding' are they talking fromage?

I dont really like it... but I guess if you are used to a superior method (acet) then it does seem dirty.... and no where near as controlable as the flame needs to be on the work area longer to get the heat in

 

[brightspark]

Interesting stuff and no definitive answer.
Sounds as though it is on it's way out.
What would you need to convert to oxy propane, I use it almost exclusively for brazing.
I heard to mates discussing it and their theory is that proane is 'too dirty for brazing and welding' are they talking fromage?

u cant weld with propane the center cone isnt hot enough but u can braze with it no problem and the flames clean . flux is used to clean the joint anyhow irispective of what gas used or how its heated

 

[tigler]

It's also going to pi55 alot of garages off, they use it for releasing siezed nuts and bolts !
Oxy/prop would be a problem there due to the large flame, unless there's a torch I don't know about.

 

[madkayaker]

You'd be better off with calcium carbide rather than limestone (calcium carbonate). You could use limestone in a CO2 generator for MIG though

I got kicked out of chemistry for making explosive devices (was quite good and did think about doing it for a living!)