Do you know how a lighter works

Do you know how a lighter works

The main components of a lighter are the ignition mechanism and the gas tank. When the ignition mechanism is in action, sparks shoot out to the gas area, igniting the gas. The ignition mechanism is the most active part in the evolution of the lighter, and it is also the part with a more complex structure. According to the characteristics of the ignition mechanism, lighters can be divided into 6 categories: flint steel wheel lighters, piezoelectric ceramic lighters, magnetic induction lighters, battery lighters, solar lighters, and microcomputer lighters. Their fuels are ignited in roughly the same way, the main difference being how the ignition mechanism fires.

The fuel used in lighters is mainly flammable gas. Gasoline was mostly used in the early days, but it is now rarely used because of its peculiar smell. Butane, propane and liquefied petroleum gas are mostly used. They are pressurized and filled into a closed air box. Once released into the air, they will absorb heat and vaporize and expand rapidly, making them easy to ignite.

Butane (CH3CH2CH2CH3), also known as n-butane, is a general term for two alkane hydrocarbons with the same molecular formula (C4H10). Includes: n-butane and isobutane (2-methylpropane). Butane is a flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gas. It is an important raw material for the development of petrochemical and organic raw materials, and its use has been paid more and more attention.

Properties: Colorless flammable gas. The melting point is 13535C, the boiling point is 05C, the relative density is 0.5730 (25C), the refractive index is 13326 (20.C), and the critical temperature is 1520l. C, critical pressure 38OkPa, critical volume 4387ml/g. Insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform and other hydrocarbons. It forms an explosive mixture with air, and the explosion limit is 19%~84% (even).

Production process: This product exists in oilfield gas, wet natural gas and cracked gas, such as petrochemical light oil cracking to ethylene plant, and the co-produced carbon tetrahydrocarbon is about 40% of ethylene output; The carbon tetrahydrocarbon produced by the catalytic cracking unit of the petroleum refinery accounts for about 6% of the processing capacity of the unit, and butane can be obtained by separation. 1. Separation from oilfield gas and wet natural gas: After pressure condensation and separation, liquefied petroleum gas containing propane and butane can be obtained, and then propane and butane can be obtained by distillation. 2. Separation of C-4 fractions from petroleum cracking: For example, the medium-depth cracking product of naphtha contains about 65% butane, and the butane content of the heavy-distillate cracking product is lower. In recent years, some refinery catalytic units have switched to molecular sieve catalysts and hydrocracking processes, resulting in an increase in butane yield and a decrease in butene yield in refinery gas. Its butane separation process is as follows. The tail gas from the catalytic cracking unit, after fractionation, separation of C3, isobutene and C5 fractions, enters the front-end distillation column from the bottom of the column, and more than 90% of butane is obtained from the top of the self-extractive distillation column.

Usage: In addition to being directly used as fuel and refrigerant, this product is widely used to prepare various organic synthetic raw materials, such as butene and butadiene can be produced by dehydrogenation; Can produce isobutane; can produce maleic anhydride, acetic acid, etc. by catalytic oxidation; produce halobutane by halogenation; produce nitrobutane by nitration; produce carbon disulfide by catalysis at high temperature; by steam reforming Hydrogen can be produced. In addition, butane can also be used as a motor fuel blend to control volatiles; it can also be used as a deasphalting agent for heavy oil refining; a solvent for wax precipitation in oil wells; an overflow agent for secondary oil recovery; Refrigerant for fresh water, and solvent for Ziegler polymerization of olefins, etc.

Chemical Reactions and Uses: Alkanes are inert gases because their CC and CH bonds are very strong. They do not react with acids, bases, metals or oxidants. Surprisingly, they do not react with acids and bases. But gasoline (octane) does not react with concentrated sulfuric acid, alkali metals or potassium permanganate. It burns to form carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Butane + Oxygen -> Carbon Dioxide + Water Vapor

2 C4H10 + 9 O2 –> 8 CO2(g) + 10 H2O

If Carbon dioxide and water vapor are produced when butane is burned when there is an adequate supply of air. If the air supply is insufficient, carbon and carbon monoxide are produced. Daily uses of butane include domestic LPG, and it is also used as fuel in lighters and portable butane gas stoves.

Freon and CFCs are of concern due to the depletion of the ozone layer. Therefore, refrigeration systems, especially household refrigerators and refrigerators, have increased the use of isobutane (2-methylpropane) as a refrigerant instead of Freon. In addition, isobutane is also added to the spray in place of chlorofluorocarbons.