Acetylene can be described as a flammable, colorless gas that smells like garlic. This gas produces the highest flame temperature due to its triple-bond structure. But if you add oxygen to acetylene, combustion can reach up to 5580° F (3087° C), this flame temperature is ideal for various metal working applications such as welding, cutting, soldering and brazing.
This gas is used commonly for chemical synthesis or for oxyacetylene gas welding. This is so because of the high temperature of the flame that acetylene can produce.
Acetylene is contained in cylinders which are under pressure. Acetylene cylinders are usually painted black. For small tanks, these are identified by the small "B" while "MC" tanks are colored gray, red or silver. These acetylene gas cylinders are formed from steel and have cylinder valves.
Acetylene Cylinder Sizes can range from 10 to 400 cuft capacity. The cylinders have porous filler that is wetted with acetone. The acetone lets the Acetylene to be contained safely in a cylinder at a psig of 250. Regardless of the Acetylene gas cylinder sizes, acetylene should never be used at a pressure more than 15 psig. This makes the gas very unstable and could lead acetylene to decompose and explode. Cylinder valve should always be clean before installation of the regulator can take place.
Acetylene cylinders should always be in upright position. This will prevent the acetylene from leaking out. Open the cylinder valve 1 to 11/2 turns and leave the valve wrench on the cylinder valve, in case you need to shut it off at once.
There are many companies that manufacture acetylene and the acetylene cylinder can be purchased from suppliers online. But whether you intend to buy through the Internet or you want to pick up the acetylene cylinder personally, there are factors or tests that should be checked out first. Some of these tests are tensile strength test and hydrostatic tests. For safety purposes, the cylinder tests should be done on the acetylene cylinders as there have been reports in the past that resulted to explosion and a lot of damages because the gas cylinders were non-standard.
In the event that you really need to keep and use acetylene, there are several guidelines that should be followed for safe storage and usage. First, a fire risk assessment should be carried out. Second, since acetylene is classified as a hazardous substance, the fire authorities should be informed that this is being stored in your location. Third, awareness of the exact medical gas cylinder location is a must.
Never forget that acetylene is an extremely volatile substance. It is not important if the gas is contained in different acetylene cylinders, the chances of an explosion is possible and always there. To prevent a disastrous event from happening such as sudden explosion, the guidelines mentioned before should be taken seriously to ensure safety.