Uses of Acetylene Gas in Welding, Cutting and Chemical Industry

Acetylene gas is an important gas which is widely used in cutting, welding and chemical industries. It is a flammable gas which is colorless and has distinctive odor. Acetylene gas is produced as result of a chemical reaction between calcium carbide and water.  A great deal of heat is generated that must be moderated. The fuel gas is used in various verticals such as welding, cutting, heating, polymer, chemical and oil refineries. Acetylene gas is used mostly in welding industry because acetylene is the most efficient fuel gas out there in the market. It is used for combust for generation of heat. For effective welding, it is used along with oxygen since the beginning of the 20^th century. OXY-welding is preferred because it is competitively priced and high quality. Although there are many types of welding but acetylene welding scores over all of them.

The process employed in welding, cutting and grazing is known as Oxy-fuel cutting or gas cutting because of use of oxygen along with acetylene gas. Oxy-fuel welding is used for cutting materials requiring temperatures as high as 3,500 °C. However, acetylene is known for producing the hottest flame. Due to its high flame temperature, acetylene is considered an effective medium for heat treating metals and other materials. It is used in the making of automotive parts and fabrication of metal parts requiring high precision. Acetylene gas enables smooth welding as it creates a reducing zone which cleans the metal after it is burned. Reducing zone is enabled because acetylene gas uses oxygen as well.

Chemical industry uses acetylene in wide range applications. Mostly, it is used in chemical synthesis as it is used for producing various inorganic chemistry. It has numerous applications in the synthesis of certain vitamins like Vitamin A and E. The fuel gas is used for making certain components of perfumes, solvents, etc. The gas is used in the making of acetic acid, 1, 4-butanediol (BDO), several acetylene, alcohols, etc. While making vitamins and chemicals, the purity levels of acetylene gas must be maintained within recommended band.

Various products such as polyethylene plastics, PVC and PVDF are made up from ethylene or methane, derived from acetylene. The production process is made up of acetylene and other elements such as chlorine, hydrochloric acid, etc., to generate different variants of plastic like PVC, PVDF, etc. These plastics are used for fabricating various household and other products.