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| {{Short description|Acetylene-burning lamps}} | |||
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| A '''carbide lamp''' or '''acetylene gas lamp''' is a simple lamp that produces and burns ] (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>), which is created by the reaction of ] (CaC<sub>2</sub>) with ] (H<sub>2</sub>O).<ref name=handbook>{{Cite book| last =Patnaik | first =Pradyot | year = 2003 | title =Handbook of Inorganic Chemical Compounds | publisher = McGraw-Hill | isbn =0-07-049439-8 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Xqj-TTzkvTEC&pg=PA243 }}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ] |
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| '''Carbide lamps''', or '''acetylene gas lamps''', are simple lamps that produce and burn ] (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>) which is created by the reaction of ] (CaC<sub>2</sub>) with ]. | |||
| Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as ] beacons, and as headlights on motor-cars and bicycles. |
Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as ] beacons, and as headlights on motor-cars and bicycles. Portable acetylene gas lamps, worn on the hat or carried by hand, were widely used in mining in the early twentieth century. They are still employed by ], hunters, and ]s. | ||
| == |
== History == | ||
| ]]] | |||
| In 1892, ] discovered an economically efficient process for creating calcium carbide in an ] from a mixture of ] and ]. The arc furnace provides the high temperature required to drive the reaction.<ref>{{Cite journal | title = The Manufacture of Calcium Carbide | author1 = Morehead, J. T. |author2= de Chalmot, G. | journal = Journal of the American Chemical Society | pages = 311–331 | doi = 10.1021/ja02090a001 | volume = 18 | issue = 4 | year = 1896| bibcode = 1896JAChS..18..311M | url = https://zenodo.org/record/1428938 }}</ref> Manufacture of calcium carbide was an important part of the industrial revolution in chemistry, and was made possible in the United States as a result of massive amounts of inexpensive hydroelectric power produced at ] before the turn of the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Freeman|first=Horace|title=Manufacture of Cyanamide|journal=The Chemical News and the Journal of Physical Science|year=1919|volume=117|page=232|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SAzAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA232}}</ref> In 1895, Willson sold his patent to ]. Domestic lighting with acetylene gas was introduced circa 1894 and bicycle lamps from 1896. In France, ], a Parisian electrical engineer, also made domestic acetylene lamps and ]. | |||
| ⚫ | The first carbide bicycle lamp developed in the United States was ]ed in ] on August 28, 1900, by Frederick Baldwin.<ref>{{US patent|656874}}</ref> Another early lamp design is shown in a ] from ] from October 21, 1902.<ref>{{US patent|711871}}</ref> In the early 1900s, ] invented the ]. This combined two of Dalén's previous inventions, namely the substrate ] and the ]. Inventions and improvements to carbide lamps continued for decades.<ref>For example on March 10, 1925 Andrew Prader of ] was granted {{US patent|1,528,848}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | After carbide lamp open flames were implicated in an Illinois coal-seam methane gas explosion that killed 54 miners, the ],<ref>Fifty-First Annual Coal Report of Illinois, 1932, Department of Mines and Minerals. Journal Printing Co.: Springfield, Illinois, 1933</ref> carbide lamp use declined in United States coal mines. They continued to be used in the coal pits of other countries, notably the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | This type of lamp generally has a reflector behind the flame to help project the light forward. An acetylene gas powered lamp produces a |
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| == Mechanism == | |||
| ⚫ | When all of the carbide in a lamp has been reacted, the carbide chamber contains a wet paste of slaked lime (]) |
||
| {{See also|Calcium carbide#Production of acetylene}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | A mining or caving lamp has calcium carbide placed in a lower chamber, the generator. The upper reservoir is then filled with water. A threaded valve or other mechanism is used to control the rate at which the water is allowed to drip into the chamber containing the calcium carbide. By controlling the rate of water flow, the production of acetylene gas is controlled. This, in turn, controls the flow rate of the gas and the size of the flame at the burner, and thus the amount of light it produces. | ||
| ⚫ | This type of lamp generally has a reflector behind the flame to help project the light forward. An acetylene gas powered lamp produces a bright, broad light. Many cavers prefer this type of unfocused light as it improves peripheral vision in the complete dark. The reaction of carbide with water is exothermic and produces a fair amount of heat independent of the flame. In cold caves, carbide lamp users can use this heat to help stave off hypothermia.<ref>Matthews, C. E. (1996). An illuminating reaction. The Science Teacher, 63(5), 30.</ref> | ||
| Small carbide lamps called "carbide candles" are used for blackening rifle sights to reduce glare. These "candles" are used due to the sooty flame produced by acetylene. | |||
| Acetylene is produced by the reaction:<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://melscience.com/en/articles/chemical-characteristics-calcium-carbide-and-its-r/|title=Chemical characteristics of calcium carbide and its reaction with water|work=MEL Science|access-date=2018-05-16|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| : CaC<sub>2(])</sub> + 2H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>(])</sub> → ]<sub>(])</sub> + ]<sub>(])</sub> | |||
| In 1892, ] discovered an economically efficient process for creating calcium carbide in an ] from a mixture of lime and coke. The arc furnace provides the high temperature required to drive the reaction. Manufacture of calcium carbide was an important part of the industrial revolution in chemistry, and was made possible in the USA as a result of massive amounts of inexpensive hydroelectric power produced at ] before the turn of the 20th century. | |||
| The acetylene ] easily in the ]: | |||
| In 1895, Willson sold his patent to ]. Domestic lighting with acetylene gas was introduced circa 1894 and bicycle lamps from 1896. | |||
| : 2] + 5O<sub>2</sub> → 4CO<sub>2</sub> + 2H<sub>2</sub>O + ] = −1300 ] | |||
| ⚫ | The first carbide |
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| ⚫ | When all of the carbide in a lamp has been reacted, the carbide chamber contains a wet paste of slaked lime (]) which can be used to make a ]. This is emptied into a waste bag and the chamber can be refilled. | ||
| ⚫ | After carbide |
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| == Uses == | |||
| In the birth of the ], a carbide lamp was used as light support to ] the first film in the ], in 1900. | |||
| ⚫ | === Lighting systems === | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | Carbide lighting was used in rural and urban areas of the United States which were not served by ]. Its use began shortly after 1900 and continued past 1950. ] pellets were placed in a container outside the home, with water piped to the container and allowed to drip on the pellets releasing acetylene. This gas was piped to ]s inside the house, where it was burned, creating a very bright flame. Carbide lighting was inexpensive, but was prone to ]s and explosions. | ||
| Early models of the automobile, car, motorbike and bicycle used carbide lamps as ]s. Acetylene gas, derived from carbide, enabled early automobiles to drive safely at night. Thick concave mirrors combined with magnifying lenses projected the acetylene flame light. These type of lights were used until reliable batteries and dynamos became available, and manufacturers switched to electric lights. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Lighting systems == | ||
| ⚫ | Acetylene lamps were also used on riverboats for night navigation. The ] has a lamp made in about 1910 that was used on board {{PS|Enterprise}}, a ] which has been restored to working order and also in the museum's collection.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/highlights/paddle-steamer-enterprise |title=Paddle Steamer Enterprise, National Museum of Australia |access-date=2012-01-30 |archive-date=2018-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923111619/http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/highlights/paddle-steamer-enterprise |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | Carbide lighting was used in rural and urban areas of the United States which were not served by ]. Its use began shortly after 1900 and continued past 1950. ] pellets were placed in a container outside the home, with water piped to the container and allowed to drip on the pellets releasing acetylene. This gas was piped to ]s inside the house, where it was burned, creating a very bright flame. Carbide lighting was inexpensive but was prone to ]s and explosions |
||
| ⚫ | They are also used for ]. | ||
| Early models of the ] automobile used carbide lamps as ]s. | |||
| === Caving === | |||
| ⚫ | Acetylene lamps were also used on riverboats for night navigation. The ] has a lamp made in about 1910 that was used on board PS |
||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ], Norway]] | |||
| ⚫ | ] excursions]] | ||
| ⚫ | Early ] enthusiasts, not yet having the advantage of light-weight electrical illumination, introduced the carbide lamp to their hobby.<ref> (from ])</ref> While increasingly replaced by more modern choices, a substantial percentage of cavers still use this method.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} | ||
| Many cavers favour carbide lamps for their durability and quality of illumination. They were once favoured for their relative illumination per mass of fuel compared to battery-powered devices.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} Before the advent of high-intensity ] (LED) illumination with lithium-ion batteries, carbide also had two important advantages over the alternative of miners electric lamps. Miner's lamps were intended to last for the duration of a standard working shift, whilst major caving explorations could be much longer, so the carbide could be replenished during the trip. Expeditions involving camping over several days in remote regions might not have access to electricity for recharging. Lamps used in such circumstances would consist of a belt-mounted gas generator linked by flexible pipe to a headset.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} | |||
| ⚫ | They are also used for night hunting |
||
| ⚫ | The acetylene producing reaction is ], which means that the lamp's reactor vessel will become quite warm to the touch; this can be used to warm the hands. The heat from the flame can also be used to warm the body by allowing the exhaust gases to flow under a shirt or poncho pulled out from the body, a technique discovered almost immediately by cold miners, and nicknamed by cavers the "Palmer furnace".{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} | ||
| ==Use in caving== | |||
| The lamps are sometimes called "stinkies" because of their odour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www-sop.inria.fr/agos-sophia/sis/slang.html|title=Caver's Slang|website=www-sop.inria.fr}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Early ] enthusiasts, not yet having the advantage of light-weight electrical illumination, introduced the carbide lamp to their hobby.<ref> (from ])</ref> While increasingly replaced by more modern choices, a substantial percentage of cavers still use this method. | ||
| === Glare reduction === | |||
| In cave surveys, carbide lamps are favoured for the lead or "point" surveyor, who must identify suitable points in the cave to designate as survey stations. The sooty carbide flame may be used to harmlessly mark cave walls with a nontoxic and removable station label. Especially favoured for this purpose are all-brass lamps or lamps made with no ] metals, as these lamps do not deflect the needles of a ], which is typically read while brightly illuminated from above using the caver's lamp. | |||
| Small carbide lamps called "carbide candles" or "smokers" are used for blackening ] to reduce glare. They are sometimes referred to as "smokers" because of the ]y flame produced by acetylene.<ref name="smoker">{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=4&v=rXF0u8OrLdU|title=Using the Super Smoker|publisher=ray-vin.com|access-date=11 October 2015}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | == See also == | ||
| Apart from their use as cave surveying tools, many cavers favour carbide lamps for their durability and quality of illumination. They were once favoured for their relative illumination per mass of fuel compared to battery powered devices, but this advantage was largely negated with the advent of high-intensity ] illumination. | |||
| * {{Annotated link|Dalén light}} | |||
| * {{Annotated link|Flashlight}} | |||
| * {{Annotated link|Trouble light}} | |||
| ⚫ | == Notes == | ||
| ⚫ | The acetylene producing reaction is ], which means that the lamp's reactor vessel will become quite warm to the touch; this can be used to warm the hands. The heat from the flame can also be used to warm the body by allowing the exhaust gases to flow under a shirt pulled out from the body |
||
| ⚫ | ] excursions |
||
| ⚫ | ==See also== | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ⚫ | ==Notes== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
| ==References== | == References == | ||
| * Clemmer |
* {{cite book | last = Clemmer | first = Gregg | title = American Miners' Carbide Lamps: A Collectors Guide to American Carbide Mine Lighting | publisher = Westernlore Publications | year = 1987 | isbn = 978-0870260643 }} | ||
| ⚫ | * {{cite book | last = Pohs | first = Henry | title = The Miners Flame Light Book | publisher = Flame Publishing | year = 1995 | isbn = 978-0964116504 }} | ||
| *Thorpe, David. "Carbide Light: the Last Flame in American Mines." Bergamot Books, 2006. ISBN 0-9760905-2-X | |||
| * {{cite book | last = Card | first = Peter W. | title = Early Vehicle Lighting | publisher = ] | date=October 2004 | isbn = 978-0-7478-0585-4 }} | |||
| *Thorpe, David. "Beneath the Surface: Inventors and Marketeers of the Miners' Carbide Light." Bergamot Books, 2010. ISBN 0-9760905-6-2 | |||
| * {{cite book | last = Thorpe | first = Dave | title = Carbide Light: The Last Flame in American Mines | publisher = Bergamot Publishing | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-0976090526 }} | |||
| ⚫ | *Pohs |
||
| * {{cite book | |||
| ⚫ | == External links == | ||
| | last = Card | |||
| ⚫ | {{Commons category|Carbide lamps}} | ||
| | first = Peter W. | |||
| | title = ] | |||
| | publisher = ] | |||
| | year = 2004 | |||
| | month = October | |||
| | isbn = 978-0-7478-0585-4}} | |||
| ⚫ | * A comprehensive guide to the care and maintenance of acetylene gas lamps | ||
| ⚫ | ==External links== | ||
| ⚫ | * Has many good pictures & videos. | ||
| ⚫ | {{Commons category|Carbide lamps}} | ||
| ⚫ | * A comprehensive guide to the care and maintenance of acetylene gas lamps | ||
| ⚫ | * Has many good pictures & videos. | ||
| * Demonstration experiment: Instruction and video | * Demonstration experiment: Instruction and video | ||
| * A website on the history, restoration, and use of carbide lamps for caving. | * A website on the history, restoration, and use of carbide lamps for caving. | ||
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| {{Artificial light sources}} | {{Artificial light sources}} | ||
| {{Mining equipment}} | {{Mining equipment}} | ||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 03:27, 30 December 2024
Acetylene-burning lamps
A carbide lamp or acetylene gas lamp is a simple lamp that produces and burns acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O).
Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse beacons, and as headlights on motor-cars and bicycles. Portable acetylene gas lamps, worn on the hat or carried by hand, were widely used in mining in the early twentieth century. They are still employed by cavers, hunters, and cataphiles.
History
In 1892, Thomas Willson discovered an economically efficient process for creating calcium carbide in an electric arc furnace from a mixture of lime and coke. The arc furnace provides the high temperature required to drive the reaction. Manufacture of calcium carbide was an important part of the industrial revolution in chemistry, and was made possible in the United States as a result of massive amounts of inexpensive hydroelectric power produced at Niagara Falls before the turn of the twentieth century. In 1895, Willson sold his patent to Union Carbide. Domestic lighting with acetylene gas was introduced circa 1894 and bicycle lamps from 1896. In France, Gustave Trouvé, a Parisian electrical engineer, also made domestic acetylene lamps and gasometers.
The first carbide bicycle lamp developed in the United States was patented in New York on August 28, 1900, by Frederick Baldwin. Another early lamp design is shown in a patent from Duluth, Minnesota from October 21, 1902. In the early 1900s, Gustaf Dalén invented the Dalén light. This combined two of Dalén's previous inventions, namely the substrate Agamassan and the Sun valve. Inventions and improvements to carbide lamps continued for decades.
After carbide lamp open flames were implicated in an Illinois coal-seam methane gas explosion that killed 54 miners, the 1932 Moweaqua Coal Mine disaster, carbide lamp use declined in United States coal mines. They continued to be used in the coal pits of other countries, notably the Soviet Union.
Mechanism
See also: Calcium carbide § Production of acetylene.jpg)
A mining or caving lamp has calcium carbide placed in a lower chamber, the generator. The upper reservoir is then filled with water. A threaded valve or other mechanism is used to control the rate at which the water is allowed to drip into the chamber containing the calcium carbide. By controlling the rate of water flow, the production of acetylene gas is controlled. This, in turn, controls the flow rate of the gas and the size of the flame at the burner, and thus the amount of light it produces.
This type of lamp generally has a reflector behind the flame to help project the light forward. An acetylene gas powered lamp produces a bright, broad light. Many cavers prefer this type of unfocused light as it improves peripheral vision in the complete dark. The reaction of carbide with water is exothermic and produces a fair amount of heat independent of the flame. In cold caves, carbide lamp users can use this heat to help stave off hypothermia.
Acetylene is produced by the reaction:
The acetylene combusts easily in the atmosphere:
When all of the carbide in a lamp has been reacted, the carbide chamber contains a wet paste of slaked lime (Ca(OH)2) which can be used to make a cement. This is emptied into a waste bag and the chamber can be refilled.
Uses
Lighting systems
Carbide lighting was used in rural and urban areas of the United States which were not served by electrification. Its use began shortly after 1900 and continued past 1950. Calcium carbide pellets were placed in a container outside the home, with water piped to the container and allowed to drip on the pellets releasing acetylene. This gas was piped to light fixtures inside the house, where it was burned, creating a very bright flame. Carbide lighting was inexpensive, but was prone to gas leaks and explosions.
Early models of the automobile, car, motorbike and bicycle used carbide lamps as headlamps. Acetylene gas, derived from carbide, enabled early automobiles to drive safely at night. Thick concave mirrors combined with magnifying lenses projected the acetylene flame light. These type of lights were used until reliable batteries and dynamos became available, and manufacturers switched to electric lights.
Acetylene lamps were also used on riverboats for night navigation. The National Museum of Australia has a lamp made in about 1910 that was used on board PS Enterprise, a paddle steamer which has been restored to working order and also in the museum's collection.
They are also used for night hunting.
Caving
Early caving enthusiasts, not yet having the advantage of light-weight electrical illumination, introduced the carbide lamp to their hobby. While increasingly replaced by more modern choices, a substantial percentage of cavers still use this method.
Many cavers favour carbide lamps for their durability and quality of illumination. They were once favoured for their relative illumination per mass of fuel compared to battery-powered devices. Before the advent of high-intensity light-emitting diode (LED) illumination with lithium-ion batteries, carbide also had two important advantages over the alternative of miners electric lamps. Miner's lamps were intended to last for the duration of a standard working shift, whilst major caving explorations could be much longer, so the carbide could be replenished during the trip. Expeditions involving camping over several days in remote regions might not have access to electricity for recharging. Lamps used in such circumstances would consist of a belt-mounted gas generator linked by flexible pipe to a headset.
The acetylene producing reaction is exothermic, which means that the lamp's reactor vessel will become quite warm to the touch; this can be used to warm the hands. The heat from the flame can also be used to warm the body by allowing the exhaust gases to flow under a shirt or poncho pulled out from the body, a technique discovered almost immediately by cold miners, and nicknamed by cavers the "Palmer furnace".
The lamps are sometimes called "stinkies" because of their odour.
Glare reduction
Small carbide lamps called "carbide candles" or "smokers" are used for blackening rifle sights to reduce glare. They are sometimes referred to as "smokers" because of the sooty flame produced by acetylene.
See also
- Dalén light – Automatic controlled acetylene gas lighthouse
- Flashlight – Portable hand-held electric light
- Trouble light – Type of lamp
Notes
- Patnaik, Pradyot (2003). Handbook of Inorganic Chemical Compounds. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-049439-8.
- Morehead, J. T.; de Chalmot, G. (1896). "The Manufacture of Calcium Carbide". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 18 (4): 311–331. Bibcode:1896JAChS..18..311M. doi:10.1021/ja02090a001.
- Freeman, Horace (1919). "Manufacture of Cyanamide". The Chemical News and the Journal of Physical Science. 117: 232.
- U.S. patent 656,874
- U.S. patent 711,871
- For example on March 10, 1925 Andrew Prader of Spokane, Washington was granted U.S. patent 1,528,848
- Fifty-First Annual Coal Report of Illinois, 1932, Department of Mines and Minerals. Journal Printing Co.: Springfield, Illinois, 1933
- Matthews, C. E. (1996). An illuminating reaction. The Science Teacher, 63(5), 30.
- "Chemical characteristics of calcium carbide and its reaction with water". MEL Science. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- "Paddle Steamer Enterprise, National Museum of Australia". Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- Caving equipment and culture (from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand)
- "Caver's Slang". www-sop.inria.fr.
- Using the Super Smoker. ray-vin.com. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
References
- Clemmer, Gregg (1987). American Miners' Carbide Lamps: A Collectors Guide to American Carbide Mine Lighting. Westernlore Publications. ISBN 978-0870260643.
- Pohs, Henry (1995). The Miners Flame Light Book. Flame Publishing. ISBN 978-0964116504.
- Card, Peter W. (October 2004). Early Vehicle Lighting. Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0-7478-0585-4.
- Thorpe, Dave (2005). Carbide Light: The Last Flame in American Mines. Bergamot Publishing. ISBN 978-0976090526.
External links
- acethylene.com A comprehensive guide to the care and maintenance of acetylene gas lamps
- A User's Guide to Carbide Cap Lamps. Has many good pictures & videos.
- Carbide lamp Demonstration experiment: Instruction and video
- The Carbide Caver A website on the history, restoration, and use of carbide lamps for caving.
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