ACETYLENE GAS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2168, 6 August 1897, Page 6

ACETYLENE GAS.

Professor Orme Masaon recently ; lectured at the Melbourne University on acetylene gas, and as this dangerous illuminant appears to be finding favour in some quarters his remarks were particularly appropriate. Hia-remarks are deserving of serious consideration just now, since interested parties are urging that this gas should be used for lighting and heating in New Zealand. Professor Masson -pointed oat that the form of fuel or illuminant which gave the widest limits for explosion was the most dangeroas. From that point of view the undoubted fact was that of all gases acetylene was the most dangerous —since anything between 3 and 82 per cent of acetylene gave an explosion.

Acetylene not only formed explosive mixtures with air, bat was capable of exploding by itself under certain conditions. It might be exploded by friction, by any local conditions raising a high temperature, and in other ways; but it could only become a self-contained explosive under a pressure of more than two atmospheres It had been proposed to supply the acetylene under high pressure in iron cylinders for lighting purposes, and in Paris these cylinders were supplied at a pressure of sto 10 atmospheres. One might just as well supply cylinders of nitroglycerine. In one instance when one of these tins of compressed acetylene was returned an explosion occured, two workmen were killed, and the factory was wrecked, simply, as it appeared, from the heat generated by a spanner turning the nut of the cylinder. Many of the dangers of acetylene gas might be avoided by proper regulations ; but it was liable to form a fulminate if it came into contract with metallic copper. Then there wastfielowignition temperature, which made it more easily to ignite accidentally than coal-gas, and the extremely wide limits of the explosive mixtures which it might form. It was also a sdf-contained explosive, and was likely to go off if slightly heated. Lastly, as the use of the acetylene meant a large production of calcium carbide, there was a great risk in its transport of the carbide getting wet