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Handbook-Oxygen & Acetylene

Fusion Welding Carbon In an oxygen cylinder there is a precise relationship betw een cylinder pressure and cylinder contents. A standard oxygen cylinder that contains 244 cf at 2200 psi and 70 (6.5 m at 15200 kPa at 20 C) w ill contain 122 cf (3.25 m ) 0 0 w hen the pressure has dropped to 1100 psi at 70 F (7600 kPa at 20 C). In the dissolved acetylene cylinder, the relationship betw een pressure and remaining acetylene content is less precise. An acetylene cylinder is not precisely half-full w hen its pressure has dropped to 125 psi (half the pressure of a full cylinder). If the cylinder temperature is 70 F (20 C), the amount of acetylene remaining in the cylinder is slightly less than half the full content. How ever, change in temperature affects the pressure in an acetylene cylinder at a much faster rate than it affects the pressure in an oxygen cylinder. Pressure in an oxygen cylinder w ill go up or dow n only about 4 percent for each 20-degree change in temperature (F) from 70 deg. A full acetylene cylinder w hich has a pressure of 250 psi at 70 F (1725 kPa at 20 C) w ill have a pressure of 315 psi at 90 F (2175 kPa at 31 C) and a pressure of 190 0 0 psi at 50 F (1300 kPa at 9 C). You must alw ays take temperature into account w hen estimating how much acetylene the cylinder contains.
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Safety Practices OXY-Acet Welding & Cutting Oxygen & Acetylene OXY-Acet Flam e Equipm ent For OXY-Acet Equipm ent Set-Up Operation Physical Properties of Metals Mechanical Properties of Metals Structure of Steel How Steels Are Classified Expansion & Contraction Prep For Welding

Braze Welding

Welding Cast Iron Welding Ferrous Metals Welding Non-Ferrous Metals HardSurfacing, Building Brazing & Soldering Heating & Heat Treating Manual Cutting Oxygen Cutting By Machine Testing & Inspecting

Manifolds and Piping Systems

While a great deal of oxy-acetylene w elding and cutting is done using gases supplied by a single pair of cylinders, there are many situations w hich require something more. We have noted that a large acetylene cylinder should not be called upon to supply acetylene at a steady rate of more than about 60 cfh (less than 2 m /hr). Yet there are 3 heating heads, designed for use w ith standard torches, w hich w ill burn up to 250 cfh (9 m /hr). While the w ithdraw al rate from oxygen cylinders is not limited, 45 minutes of cutting 3-in. steel w ill exhaust the contents of a standard oxygen cylinder. In such situations, portable cylinder manifolds, w hich link from tw o to five cylinders together to supply a single torch, are frequently used. Many shops have oxygen and acetylene piping systems. Most oxygen piping systems are now supplied from liquid oxygen storage tanks, although permanently-mounted oxygen cylinder manifolds, to w hich any number of cylinders can be attached, are still used occasionally. Acetylene piping systems may be supplied by an acetylene generator, by a stationary cylinder manifold, or by an acetylene trailer. An acetylene trailer is essentially nothing more than a group of large acetylene cylinders, coupled together on a trailer, w hich can be hooked up directly to the users piping system.
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18 Appendices

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