Types of Flames V

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
Are there any other ways to create a non-luminous flame other than using a bunsen burner?
- PangJiingHuey (age 13)
Anglican High, Singapore
A:
Pang -

All you need to produce a non-luminous flame is some way to get a lot of oxygen to the flame. You can also do it by burning up a compound that doesn’t need as much oxygen to burn. Examples of things that can produce non-luminous flames include the bunsen burners that you mentioned (which generally burn methane) and acetylene torches. The torches that the olympic runners carry are also sometimes non-luminous. Examples of luminous flames are the more familiar ones - burning wood, candles, etc. The flame of the actual Olympic cauldron is also typically luminous.

-Tamara

(published on 10/22/2007)