ACETYLENE LIGHTING 



49 



FIG. 33. Acetylene bicycle 

 lamp. 



a cubic foot of ordinary illuminating gas when burned in an 

 open flame, and about six times as much when burned in a 

 mantle burner. Acetylene will pro- 

 duce about 2.6 times as much heat 

 per cubic foot as ordinary illuminat- 

 ing gas. When these facts are con- 

 sidered the difference in cost of 

 acetylene and ordinary illuminating 

 gas is not so great as it would seem 

 at first thought. Its use, however, 

 is limited to those places where illu- 

 minating gas cannot be procured. 

 It is extensively used as an illumi- 

 nant in country homes and institu- 

 tions, on automobiles, and in the United States lighthouses. 



62. Acetylene as an Illuminant for Vehicles. 

 With the coming of the automobile, some 

 reliable, powerful illuminant was demanded. 

 Acetylene seems to be satisfactory. Small 

 acetylene generators are sometimes carried on 

 the machine, which produce the gas as rapidly 

 as it is used (Fig. 33). However, the constant 

 jarring of the vehicle is likely to disarrange the 

 parts of the generator, thus leading to unsatis- 

 factory service. The care of such a small 

 generator is more or less troublesome. For 

 these reasons acetylene is now stored in strong 

 metal tanks which may be carried on the 

 machine. The tanks (Prest-O-Lite, Fig. 34) 

 are filled with some absorbent material, as 

 asbestos or cotton, which is saturated with a 

 liquid called ACETONE. Acetone has the prop- 

 erty of dissolving large quantities of 

 acetylene when under high pressure. When 

 the gas is allowed to pass from the tank to the burner, the 

 acetylene passes out of solution. A tank such as used on 



FIG. 34. 

 P r e s t-O-L i t e 

 tank, showing 

 the internal 

 construction. 



