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To: hank2010 who wrote (26778)	1/10/2004 5:15:00 PM
From: Tommaso	Respond to of 39344

I am not answering for Bob, but what you say sounds right. I knew that acetylene was about the most explosive gas possible. I think it can explode even without air, by the heat released from the breaking of the triple bonds between the carbons. When my grandparents first built their house they had a backyard acetylne generator that sent the gas through pipes into the house for illumnination. The pipes had wiring inside, so that when electricity became avaliable they switched to that. But imagine bringing acetylene into your house! At least it does have a pungent odor of its own, as I know from the carbide lights we used for caving.

To: hank2010 who wrote (26778)	1/10/2004 5:37:44 PM
From: Andrew	Respond to of 39344

Not exactly - it's the other way around. The Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) is the amount (volume %) of the flammable vapor mixed with air that will burn. Below that concentration the mixture is too lean to explode. Above the UEL the mixture is too rich to burn.

To: hank2010 who wrote (26778)	1/10/2004 5:55:32 PM
From: Bearcatbob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39344

Andrew is correct. No matter what some might say H2 is very hazardous. Think of trying to pipeline this stuff. It will friggin never happen on a large scale. There are two answers to energy independence as I see it. 1. Nuclear power with large usage of battery driven vehicles. 2. Massive conversion of coal via liquifaction or gasification. We as a nation desparately need an honest debate. Wild claims of conservation as the answer are idiotic. Wild claims of producing ourselves out of this are equally stupid. The country needs energy. We need to agree on where it is going to come from and get on with it. Again, nothing positive will happen this year. Therefore, invest and profit! Bob

To: hank2010 who wrote (26778)	1/10/2004 6:18:54 PM
From: E. Charters	Respond to of 39344

It means there is ignition danger between the percentages indicating percentage concetration of the vapour or gas of air present. So the ignition level for Hydrogen is between 2.2 precent and 75 percent H2 concentration in air. That is wide, making it a good combustion fuel, but not nessarily dangerous to use. We see that CO also has a very wide combusion range, but we don't think of CO as a dangerous gas for ignition. It is a component of producer gas, and oxidizes well, but most would think it suppresses ignition. They type of ignition and the character of the flame is all important and this does not address that factor. Hydrogen is not as explosive as propane even though it will ignite over a wider range of concentration. The fact that hydrogen will ignite under saturated conditions is not really a safety matter as hydrogen does not tend to accumulate precisely because it is so volatile. Propane has a much more accumulative and dangerous character in practice. If I went into a basement -- that was ventilated and found that there had been a hydrogen leak, I would not be too concerned, -- as long as I could determine the roof and ceiling vents were not sealed. On the other hand if there had been a propane leak, I would back out of there pronto. I would not light a match in either cases to see better. That happened to a few ex acquaintances. You should include gas vapours hexance-octane in there too. I believe 4.5 to 19.5. This causes more grief from fire and explosion in Canada than all the bottled gas accidents put together worldwide. EC<:-}