Some key points about high-purity acetylene

      High-purity acetylene, an industrial gas, is colorless, highly flammable, slightly soluble in water, chemically reactive, and has a garlic-like odor. However, high-purity acetylene with higher purity is odorless. Due to its highly reactive chemical properties, high-purity acetylene can undergo addition, oxidation, polymerization, and metal substitution reactions. What role does high-purity acetylene play in industry? It can be used in lighting fixtures for urban transportation and navigational aids; it is also employed in industrial metal welding and cutting. Furthermore, the chemical industry uses it to produce various derivative chemicals. When high-purity acetylene burns in oxygen, it produces an intense, brilliant light and reaches temperatures as high as 3,000 to 4,000 degrees Celsius, making it widely used for heating, cutting, and welding metals.

　　High-purity acetylene has tens of thousands of derivative chemical compounds. Consequently, high-purity acetylene and its derivatives are widely used in many industrial sectors, such as the synthesis of plastics, synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, fragrances, organic conductors, and semiconductors.

　　The cylinders used for storing industrial-grade high-purity acetylene are custom-designed to ensure the stable and safe storage of high-purity acetylene. While the shape of a high-purity acetylene cylinder is similar to that of an oxygen cylinder, its internal structure is far more complex. The main body of a high-purity acetylene cylinder is a cylindrical welded vessel made of carbon steel or low-alloy steel. The cylinder is filled with a porous filler material, which facilitates the release of high-purity acetylene from the filler as it is used.

　　High-purity acetylene, as a simple hydrocarbon, features a highly unstable triple bond (H-C≡C-H) and exhibits remarkably reactive chemical properties. It can undergo vigorous reactions with numerous substances, giving rise to thousands of different organic compounds. Some products manufactured via the high-purity acetylene process boast advantages such as low capital investment, high yield, and a straightforward production process. For this reason, high-purity acetylene was once dubbed the “mother of the organic synthesis industry” and serves as a fundamental raw material for many modern organic products, including synthetic plastics, rubber, fibers, dyes, resins, and solvents. Meanwhile, in the field of fine chemicals, high-purity acetylene also offers significant advantages—for instance, in the production of fragrances, vitamins, pharmaceuticals, surfactants, and corrosion inhibitors.

　　The principle behind the process of producing high-purity acetylene via partial oxidation of natural gas is that the cracking reaction is accompanied by an oxidation reaction, with the oxidation reaction proceeding at a faster rate than the cracking reaction. In the high-purity acetylene furnace within the cracking reactor, a thoroughly mixed stream of oxygen and a portion of the natural gas first undergoes combustion, generating a high temperature of approximately 1500°C. The heat generated during this process causes the remaining portion of the natural gas to crack into high-purity acetylene. The resulting acetylene is then rapidly cooled using media such as water or oil, and further cooled to below 80°C to prevent the high-purity acetylene from undergoing deep cracking.

　　The pyrolysis gas, which contains approximately 8% by volume of high-purity acetylene produced during the reaction, is cooled and dust-removed before being compressed by a screw compressor. During the concentration process, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) is used as the solvent; through multiple stages of absorption and desorption, the gas mixture is separated into three components: high-purity acetylene product, tail gas (synthesis gas), and acetylenic hydrocarbon gas. The entire process is characterized by high temperatures, high reaction rates, and highly flammable and explosive reactants and products.