A Blowpipe with Preheated Gas and Air

JSGT_1918_V02_T088_T089 (2 pages)

A very hot blowpipe flame, without having recourse to the rather expensive method of using oxygen, is so desirable that several people have at different times attempted to solve the problem by preheating the gas and air before burning them. The ordinary furnace methods of preheating the gas and air by the waste heat are impracticable in this case, but recently Mr Whatmough has described a successful method of preheating the gas and air mixture by passing it through a metal tube heated to redness by an auxiliary gas supply. The use of this type of burner, in which the gas and air are mixed before being burned, necessitates the employment of gas under a higher pressure than is obtainable directly from the mains. and some manufacturers hesitate to install a high pressure gas system in order to use such blowpipes. No such obstacle should be allowed to stand in the way of manufacturers who want to increase their output.

S. English