Candle how does it work

As part of the liquid wax FUEL moving into the wick and transformed into vapor, the combustion of vapor that has the presence of fragrance oil particles gives off an aroma in addition to the normal by-products of the candle. Combustion is the goal, but the reality is that an imbalance of fuel, oxygen and heat will create more than just the normal critters CO2, H2O, and aromas.

This incomplete-ness of the burn causes more byproducts. We rely on that vapor being flammable , remember. But we also assume as users of the candles that the producer designed a combustion system appropriate for the wax fuel and that the candle is safe to burn.

Poorly designed or poorly kept, sometimes candles are known to cause house fires. These types of situations are why there is a safety sticker on the bottom of every candle with burning recommendations and guidelines. Who reads the bottom of their candles? No idea. Some of the carbon atoms in this zone may also begin to burn to form carbon dioxide. The middle part of the flame will be a dark orange-brown due to the relative absence of oxygen.

In this area, carbon continues to break down. It also begins to form tiny hardened particles that are heated to approximately degrees Centigrade as they rise up through the flame. Next is the yellow zone, which forms the bulk of the flame and gives it the classic golden color.

In this zone, more and more carbon particles are created, which can lead to the formation of soot. These particles continue to heat until they ignite, emitting the full spectrum of light, with yellow being the most dominant to the human eye. The final zone is the veil, a. If the wick did not ignite, light it now. Watch the candle burn for a couple of seconds. Can you describe the flame?

How does it look? Blow out the candle and watch what happens. Do you see white smoke escaping from the wick? Light the candle again then light another match.

While the match is still burning blow out the candle. Immediately afterward hold the flame of the match into the white smoke of the blown-out candle, close to the wick but without touching it. What happens? Does the candle light again? Why or why not? Blow out the burning candle.

Now stand two candles next to each other in your wet sand or other material so that they are secure and will not fall over. They should almost touch each other. Light both candles with a match. While both candles are burning point the end of a straw to one of the flames.

Blow through the straw to extinguish just one of the flames. The other candle should keep burning. What happens after you extinguish one of the candles? Can you explain your observation? Repeat this step several times.

Do you always get the same results? Can you tell from your observations which part of the candle is burning? Extra: Place three or more candles next to each other. With a straw, blow out one of the candles, but keep the others burning.

What happens to the blown-out candle? The heat of the flame vaporizes the wax, and it is the wax vapor that burns. You can prove that it is wax vapor, rather than liquid wax, that is burning with two experiments:. The reason the wick does not burn is because the vaporizing wax cools the exposed wick and protects it. You may have seen the camping trick of boiling water in a paper cup.

The cup does not burn because the water inside cools it. The liquid wax does the same thing for the wick. Paraffin wax will burn on its own, but it is like cooking oil, motor oil and coal in that you have to get it very hot for combustion to begin. An oil fire is intense and very hard to put out. Paraffin is the same way. In a candle, this works great -- only the tiny amount of wax on the wick is hot enough to vaporize and burn.

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