Acetylene is the primary fuel for oxy-fuel welding and is the fuel of choice for repair work and

general cutting and welding. Acetylene gas is shipped in special cylinders designed to keep the gas dissolved. The cylinders are packed with porous materials (e.g. kapok fibre, diatomaceous earth, or (formerly) asbestos), then filled to around 50% capacity with acetone, as acetylene is acetone soluble. This method is necessary because above 207 kPa (30 lbf/in) (absolute pressure) acetylene is unstable and may explode. There is about 1700 kPa (250 psi) pressure in the tank when full. Acetylene when combined with oxygen burns at a temperature of 3200 C to 3500 C (5800 F to 6300 F), highest among commonly used gaseous fuels. As a fuel acetylene's primary disadvantage, in comparison to other fuels, is high cost. As acetylene is unstable at a pressure roughly equivalent to 33 feet/10 meters underwater, water submerged cutting and welding is reserved for hydrogen rather than acetylene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxy-fuel_welding_and_cutting

Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is [3] a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical [4] building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution. Pure acetylene is [5] odorless, but commercial grades usually have a marked odor due to impurities. As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because its two carbon atoms are bonded together in a triple bond. The carboncarbon triple bond places all four atoms in the same straight line, with CCH bond [6] angles of 180. Since acetylene is a linear symmetrical molecule, it possesses the Dh point group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylene

Until the 1950s, when oil supplanted coal as the chief source of carbon, acetylene (and the aromatic fraction from coal tar) was the main source of organic chemicals in the chemical industry. It was prepared by the hydrolysis of calcium carbide, a reaction discovered by Friedrich Whler in 1862 and still familiar to students: CaC2 + 2H2O Ca(OH)2 + C2H2 Calcium carbide production requires extremely high temperatures, ~2000 C, necessitating the use of an electric arc furnace. In the US, this process was an important part of the late-19th century [10] revolution in chemistry enabled by the massive hydroelectric power project at Niagara Falls.

Changes of state[edit]
At atmospheric pressure, acetylene cannot exist as a liquid and does not have a melting point. The triple point on the phase diagram corresponds to the melting point (80.8 C) at the minimum pressure at which liquid acetylene can exist (1.27 atm). At temperatures below the triple point, solid acetylene can change directly to the vapor (gas) by sublimation. The sublimation point at atmospheric pressure is 84 C.

Other[edit]
The adiabatic flame temperature in air at atmospheric pressure is 2534 C. Acetylene gas can be dissolved in acetone or dimethylformamide in room temperature and 1 atm.

Welding[edit]
Approximately 20 percent of acetylene is supplied by the industrial gases industry for oxyacetylene gas welding and cutting due to the high temperature of the flame; combustion of acetylene with oxygen produces a flame of over 3600 K (3300 C, 6000 F), releasing 11.8 kJ/g. Oxyacetylene is the hottest [17] burning common fuel gas. Acetylene is the third hottest natural chemical flame after dicyanoacetylene's 5260 K (4990 C, 9010 F) and cyanogen at 4798 K (4525 C, 8180 F). Oxy-acetylene welding was a very popular welding process in previous decades; however, the development and advantages of arcbased welding processes have made oxy-fuel welding nearly extinct for many applications. Acetylene usage for welding has dropped significantly. On the other hand, oxy-acetylene welding equipment is quite versatile not only because the torch is preferred for some sorts of iron or steel welding (as in certain artistic applications), but also because it lends itself easily to brazing, braze-welding, metal heating (for annealing or tempering, bending or forming), the loosening of corroded nuts and bolts, and other applications. Bell Canada cable repair technicians still use portable acetylene fueled torch kits as a soldering tool for sealing lead sleeve splices in manholes and in some aerial locations. Oxyacetylene welding may also be used in areas where electricity is not readily accessible. As well, oxy-fuel cutting is still very popular and oxy-acetylene cutting is utilized in nearly every metal fabrication shop. For use in welding and cutting, the working pressures must be controlled by a regulator, since above 15 [18] psi acetylene will decompose explosively into hydrogen and carbon. SUMBER http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylene There are three distinct types of oxy-acetylene flames, usually termed: Neutral Carburizing (or excess acetylene) Oxidizing (or excess oxygen )

The neutral flame (Fig. 4-1) is produced when the ratio of oxygen to acetylene, in the mixture leaving the torch, is almost exactly one-to-one. Its termed neutral because it will usually have no chemical effect on the metal being welded. It will not oxidize the weld metal; it will not cause an increase in the carbon content of the weld metal. The excess acetylene flame (Fig. 4-2), as its name implies, is created when the proportion of acetylene in the mixture is higher than that required to produce the neutral flame. Used on steel, it will cause an increase in the carbon content of the weld metal.

The oxidizing flame (Fig. 4-3) results from burning a mixture which contains more oxygen than required for a neutral flame. It will oxidize or burn some of the me tal being welded.

www.aws.org/educators/Library/0000/000631.ppt

C2H2 + O2 2CO + H2 + Heat (inner core flame reaction) 2CO + H2 + 1.5O2 2CO2 + H2O + heat (Temperature 3300 deg Celsius)

Neutral flame: Acetylene and oxygen ratio is 1: 1 Oxidizing flame: Greater oxygen supply (its used for copper and copper based alloys, steel) Reducing flame: Lower oxygen supply (brazing, soldering, flame hardening). (02 : C2 H2 = 0.85 to 0.95)

http://www.mechanicalengineeringblog.com/tag/oxy-acetylene-gas-welding/

http://books.google.co.id/books?id=l7Km1vRDnZIC&pg=PA331&lpg=PA331&dq=reaction+of+neutral+ac etylene+flame&source=bl&ots=48CT8fndmh&sig=Q7Dvb9EbMW50rXYYq6INecnwPuU&hl=en&sa=X&ei= G3YLU6zSKcP7rAfmiYC4Aw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=reaction%20of%20neutral%20acetylene%20fla me&f=false