[kbinkster]

I have posted this elsewhere, but thought it would be helpful here, too...

Many people who are going to a fuel/oxygen set-up are opting to use oxygen concentrators instead of tanked oxygen. My husband and I ran several torches on a 5 LPM Invacare - a pretty common concentrator with a moderate psi output of 5 psi - to see how they performed. We set the torch to the largest neutral flame (before distortion) that we could and measured the length of the candles, the width of the flame, and the overall length of the flame. We then tried to dial in the smallest pin point flame and commented on that.

We had them running off of a Y connector, so we could test one torch right after the other more quickly and so that we could also test two torches running on the single concentrator.

Here is what we found:



Flame Measurements of Torches Running on 5 LPM, 5 psi concentrator (Invacare)

Nortel Minor
candle length: 0.330”
shoulder width: 0.850-0.860”
flame length: 11”
small pinpoint flame: fairly small flame

Nortel Mega Minor
candle length: 0.350”
shoulder width: 0.850”
flame length: 10”
small pinpoint flame: carrot shaped, not enough thrust to get a sharp hot needle

Carlisle Mini CC
candle length: 0.25”
shoulder width: 0.925”
flame length: 9”
small pinpoint flame: carrot shaped, no thrust

GTT Cricket
candle length: 0.500”
shoulder width: 0.750”
flame length: 13”
small pinpoint flame: hot needle flame can get very tight

straight off concentrator, not through Y connector:

candle length: 0.550”
shoulder width: 0.850-0.880”
flame length: 13”
small pinpoint flame: hot needle flame can get very tight

Knight Bullet centerfire (same as Knight Little Dragon 7 jet)
candle length: 0.250”
shoulder width: 0.700”
flame length: 11”
small pinpoint flame: small carrot shape

Bethlehem Barracuda centerfire (same as Beth Bead Burner/Pirhana/Betta)
candle length: 0.330”
shoulder width: 0.780”
flame length: 12”
small pinpoint flame: good needle flame

Bethlehem Minnow
candle length: 0.25”
shoulder width: 0.600”
flame length: 10”
small pinpoint flame: carrot shaped, no thrust

Wale Firebird
candle length: 0.280”
shoulder width: 0.960”
flame length: 11”
small pinpoint flame: cannot get pinpoint flame, wide carrot shape that fades to nothing when you get low, 2.5” – 4” before carrot comes to point



Multiple Torches on Single 5 LPM Concentrator

Two GTT Crickets
candle length: 0.250” each torch
shoulder width: 0.400” each torch
flame length: 8” each torch