I am no scientist, but I did finish high school chemistry. The thing about the ozone layer is that you can't "feed" it more ozone from the lower atmosphere because the third O (of O3) breaks off too easily. just saying.
@Sheepdip, As i understand Helium is extracted from natural gas wells. As i have been told, foreign markets are purchasing the gas and therefor the price has skyrocketed in the last few years. As for Coupster, you just got it jabbed in and broke off for the cost of your 122 Acetylene. That's highway robbery, i'd return it and make them check the price or go to another distributor.
The plant in Louisville,Ky that makes it blew up last week killing two workers and hurting two other workers. It's been on the news here all week. They have no idea when production will start up again.
The plant that blew up was a calcium carbide plant. It was not an acetylene plant. No CC, no acetylene.
You can read about the ozone here: http://www.theozonehole.com/ozoneholehistory.htm There's a hole (larger than the united states), so clearly ozone is depleting faster than it is being produced. How exactly does an electric motor produce ozone? Even if that is true, it probably doesn't produce it in large quantities. just saying.
We were told at work by our supplier that the plant that makes the bottles was destroyed and we would only be able to get full bottles for empty bottles in trade. We would not be able to get extras on an order.
It was stated on the news here that calcium carbide is used to make acetylene!!! Maybe I will stay at a Holiday Inn tonight and will know more about this tomorrow !!!! LOL
See hes damaging the ozone! You had better kill him...But wait! If you kill him, his corpse will generate methane as it decomposes!!! but if you DONT kill him, he will undoubtedly generate more methane in the future!!! We are all DOOMED!!!
acetylene is getting harder to get in New Zealand as well must be a world wide thing just like the crap petrol they feed us now
don't worry china has plenty of Calcium Carbide for sale to make acetylene! maybe speedway will include some with your next order!!
just started using propane for the torch myself (thanks to info from the hamb)- couldnt be happier- clean, cheap and just as effective so screw their price increase!!!
-Well, helium, being an element, isn't "produced", so much as "extracted", but that's just a technical point. Yes, helium is extracted from natural gas wells, but at relatively low rates- like only .005% or some such. On the other hand, we use huge amounts- something like 70 million cubic feet a year. That's not a typo. And since oil and gas drilling is down, byproducts like helium are also down. Helium prices have already gone up- what hasn't these days?- and will soon go up even more. Doc.
Better research about the Bakken, Three Forks, and Sanish in North Dakota. Drilling is UP. It's just that certain politicians want it down.
damn , that post rattled the nest . I agree with everone on here , i can't believe it either , we were told ,switching to propalene ,new 2 piece torch tips ,hoses the whole nut . I figure someone is trying to save some money or something . Not to mention all the places still stocked with the stuff . We'll see , just wanted to see how many people heard of this . Got my answer. Thanks hamber's
I just delivered 20 tons of Calcium Carbide in the So. Ca. area for acetylene mfg. It was a rush order because they had run out. Major LA supplier. FWIW.
Oh no, I ran a torch most of the day today! I hope there will still be some acetylene left for tomorow. This is a new one on me. Airgas just delivered our tanks today and said nothing about it was ourt last one. I doubt it will happen.
I am a small sub-dealer for a welding gas supplier. Today I was informed that the 3 empty tanks the truck took away last week will only be replaced with 2 full tanks. The plant that blew up was the calcium carbide supplier for everything north of the Maison-Dixon line. It will cause a shortage of the carbide until "they" can get back into operation, figure out a re-distribation system for the existing plants that supply the carbide and those plants can gear up the production, or another plant can begin production. The over all effect will likely be a price increase, and at least a short term shortage of acetylene. At this point, everyone is guessing what the outcome will be, long term. A lot will depend on how long the plant is down. At this point, as a sub-dealer, I am out of acetylene, but sit on 2 cylinders of propelene, so I suspect if someone needs cutting fuel, they have little choice, right now. Gene
If the plant you speak of is the Louisville plant the word in the news was "If Ever" they start up again !!!! So sad as a lot of local fellows had jobs for years there.
I should have also stated that the news said the plant was the largest of it kind in North America !!!!!!
If you know the right guys to talk with, you will find who produces medical gasses, etc, and who just buys at a wholesale level and puts in their/your bottles. Praxxair, Air Products are two of the players of producers that I know. Just like oil and gasoline, a few control the market and the price. We adjust how we walk through life accordingly. Why medical gasses comes to subject is because some of your larger welding gas suppliers also feed the medical field with nitrous, oxygen, etc. Some company has a helium plant between Amarillo and Trinidad CO. Natural gas is being sought in Arkansas with many holes punched in the ground. I don't think Southwest Energy or Chesepeake is interested in making balloons or blimps float in the air.
I'm a pipefitter and was working at that carbide plant the day it blew up. We left at 4:00, the explosion was about 5:30. We were supposed to stay till we got the job we were working on done but they added a few more things so we decided to come back the next day to finish. Thank God we left. Two men died.
So glad your safe fellow.Lets all pray that the plant reopens and those workers can return to their jobs.
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