Moreover, although iron
or steel is a notably better conductor of heat than any of the other
substances present in the carbide vessel, it is, as a metal, only a poor
conductor, being considerably inferior in this respect to copper. If heat
dissipation were the only point to be studied in the construction of an
acetylene apparatus, far better results might be obtained by the
employment of copper for the walls of the carbide container; and possibly
in that case a generator of considerable size, fitted with a water-
jacketed decomposing vessel, might be free from the trouble of
overheating. Nevertheless it will be seen in Chapter VI. that the use of
copper is not permissible for such purposes, its advantages as a good
conductor of heat being neutralised by its more important defects.
When suitable precautions are not taken to remove the heat liberated in
an acetylene apparatus, the temperature of the calcium carbide
occasionally rises to a remarkable degree. Investigating this point, Caro
has studied the phenomena of heat production in a "dipping" generator--
_i.e._, an apparatus in which a cage of carbide is alternately
immersed in and lifted out of a vessel containing water.
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