Sunday, February 02, 2020
Acetylene world 4
Continuing the acetylene theme.
Acetylene had a brief time in the limelight before it retreated into a few narrow niches.
Or more precisely, acetylene had a brief time AS the limelight. (Calcium carbide = charged-up limestone.) Its perfectly white light pierced through fog and smoke, and showed colors in the same neutrality as sunlight.
The army turned the stage spotlight into a signal light. You can't ignite a gas flame repeatedly and reliably, so the flame had a default low setting. A Morse key opened the valve wider to make a flash.
Polistra shows how it worked:
and here's how it looked to a watcher.
The dangly part is the gas generator, with a water reservoir dripping onto the carbide and producing acetylene.
= = = = =
Sidenote: I wish I'd paid more attention to chemistry class in high school. This stuff is interesting when you know what it's used for. It's not interesting when you're simply running through the lab manual and following correct procedures. None of the teachers ever showed us how the subject material would help us in real life and work.
and here's how it looked to a watcher.
The dangly part is the gas generator, with a water reservoir dripping onto the carbide and producing acetylene.
= = = = =
Sidenote: I wish I'd paid more attention to chemistry class in high school. This stuff is interesting when you know what it's used for. It's not interesting when you're simply running through the lab manual and following correct procedures. None of the teachers ever showed us how the subject material would help us in real life and work.Labels: Experiential education, Patient things
¶ 9:51 AM
