According to Lewes the main factor in the
blocking of the burners is the presence of liquid polymerised products in
the acetylene, benzene in particular; for he considers that these bodies
will be absorbed by the porous steatite, and will be decomposed under the
influence of heat in that substance, saturating the steatite with carbon
which, by a "catalytic" action presumably, assists in the deposition of
further quantities of carbon in the burner tube until distortion of the
flame results. Some action of this character possibly occurs; but were it
the sole cause of blockage, the trouble would disappear entirely if the
gas were washed with some suitable heavy oil before entering the burners,
or if the latter were constructed of a non-porous material. It is
certainly true that the purer is the acetylene burnt, both as regards
freedom from phosphorus and absence of products of polymerisation, the
longer do the burners last; and it has been claimed that a burner
constructed at its jets of some non-porous substance, e.g., "ruby," does
not choke as quickly as do steatite ones. Nevertheless, stoppages at the
burners cannot be wholly avoided by these refinements.
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