Oxygen mix with Natural Gas ?

Question

They say between 5% and 15% befor it explodes .

Hows that possible , i hvae a Nat gas stove and the flame comes out blue isnt it mixing with oxygen when the flame comes out to heat the pot etc ?

So why doent it explode ?

Answer 1

You are NOT mixing natural gas with pure oxygen in your stove. You are mixing air with natural gas. Air is a mixture of gases with oxygen being only part, and a small part at that. If my memory serves me right, air is less than 20% oxygen.

Oxygen lowers the flash point of combustibles. Pure oxygen can lower it until they will ignite at a temperature much lower than you would expect. For example, I turned the oxygen on an oxy-acetylene torch on all by itself. I introduced it to a couple of drops of motor oil I had placed on a metal plate. In the extreme oxygen environment the oil popped, smoked and ignited. The temperature that day was about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the oxygen in the air around us is so diluted, it cannot lower the flashpoint of natural gas such that it will ignite (explode) at room temperature.

If you did mix natural gas with pure oxygen I would expect an explosion, in fact, I doubt I am imagining as violent an explosion as could result, depending of course, on the amount of natural gas and oxygen available to explode. The really ugly part would be that the explosion would occur spontaneously, in other words, a point would be reached where it would blow up without you introducing any ignition source. Therefore the exact moment of ignition would be a surprise.

BTW, technically oxygen doesn't burn, it just enables other things to burn. On the flip side, carbon dioxide displaces oxygen, robbing fire of a necessary element. That is why a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher works.

I hope that helps. I tried to answer your question without a chemistry lesson but in a way, you have to understand how fire works. So, if you want more, I can be reached through my profile.

Answer 2

It doesn't explode because it is being burned at it exits the burner. Yes, if you look at nozzle where the gas is injected, there are openings for the introduction of air. They are probably adjustable. Your first statement is misleading. The mixture needs to be "between 5 and 15 percent before it will explode" is the correct statement.
If you want to take a quick ride to a bad place, turn the burner on with out an ignition source for about ten minutes, then light a match.

Answer 3

It also needs a source of ignition... like an open flame or a spark. It won't just spontaneaously explode when mixed. That would just be wrong.

Answer 4

A fire is, technically speaking, a small controlled explosion. The explosion is controlled by the proportions of methane and oxygen. But methane, while combustible, does not cause a very large explosion, like TNT for example, because methane is a different compound than TNT, and it does not have the same explosive power. TNT has much, much more power. And there are many which have even more power, for massive explosions.

Answer 5

OSHA has done test and established a percentile scale of the amount that is required to explode,called LEL. that scale occurs at 100%. The first alarm point is 10% LEL.

Answer 6

very almost any volume of organic gas mixed with oxygen will burn.. it can be the type of small flame you received't observe it even with the undeniable fact that it is going to certainly burn till this is been ate up... you want a higher flame, upload extra gasoline...

Answer 7

Because it is coming out in a controlled manner.

I think this is referring to a gas leak.

Answer 8

Because air has only a small percentage O2.