New Load of Coal, Yellow/Blue Flame?

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kzad
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Post by kzad » Thu. Nov. 27, 2008 9:13 am

This is my first year with coal, I started out by burning a dozen bags of blashek, no problems. Picked up a half ton of no name, store bagged from a local supplier, seemed to burn the same as the blashek. So I ordered 6 tons more. I just had it delivered last weekend, and am on my second bag. I notice I seem to get a yellow-blue flame out of this coal, as opposed to the nice blue flames I was getting from the last load. It also seems to be a lot dustier, with (so far) a few pieces of wood per bag. Any idea what could be giving me the yellow-blue flame, and is it anything I should be concerned about?

 
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dtzackus
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Post by dtzackus » Thu. Nov. 27, 2008 11:26 am

I believe the wood and other non coal items in the coal are giving you the yellowish/orangish flames. Since I am new at this, I might be mistaken, but when I add some pea coal (which is mixed with pieces of wood, grass clipping and other related non coal items) I get some yellow and orange flames till it is burned off.

Dan

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Thu. Nov. 27, 2008 11:51 am

Dan's idea is the same as mine. It's the other carbonatious stuff in the charge that gives the yellow flame. The blue is from the coal gas, mostly methane, bruning off and the yellow is longer chain carbon burning off like you see in a wood fire. I even had a half ton of caol that burned witha red flame. Normal gray/white ash, but red flames instead of blue. It burned well but didn't give off the same ammount of heat. I'd like some of that lower BTU stuff for the early spring/late fall!

 
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grizzly2
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Post by grizzly2 » Thu. Nov. 27, 2008 10:56 pm

The bagged nut coal I bought last year was very clean and burned with the blue flames. The bulk pea coal I bought this year burns with a blue flame, but I have noticed and occational but brief yellow flame. I have also noticed an occational twig in the coal. I think you guys have the cause pretty will figured out. :jawdrop:


 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Fri. Nov. 28, 2008 5:47 pm

The color of the flame depends upon when the air is mixed with the fuel, before or after it is turned to gas and ignited. Blue flame is gas mixed with air before it ignites while yellow flame is bits of carbon that receives its air only after ignition temps are reached.

If you look at a candle flame there is blue flame at the base which is gas and yellow flame at the tip which is carbon burning.

If you have ever adjusted the flame on a gas stove you will have noticed that if the air inlet is closed too much the flame will be yellow. Pre- mixing air with the gas gives a blue flame.

Most oil burners burn with a yellow flame. The oil is sprayed into the combustion chamber along with air. This causes the carbon to ignite before it can turn to gas so has a yellow flame. The old Timken burners converted the oil to gas before ignition and burned with a rolling blue flame.

A properly designed wood stove can also burn with a blue flame.

If you ground coal to a powder and blew it through a pipe it would also burn yellow.

Richard

 
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Post by HeartnCoal » Fri. Nov. 28, 2008 9:05 pm

I love science. I have also heard heard that different elements will burn different colors. I had a spectacular GREEN flame a few days age that seemed to be coming from one large particular piece of coal. Well, copper burns green. I guess it's possible there was traces of copper within the coal?? Or maybe it's dinosaur crap.

 
kzad
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Post by kzad » Fri. Nov. 28, 2008 9:08 pm

Thanks for the replies, I'd say you guys are right on. The last few bags haven't had any debris mixed in, nice blue flames!

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