Vapour lamps... how do they work?

[Mike Ran]

can someone explain what is meant by a vapour lamp. I have looked at the posts here and the theory of operation escapes me.

Thanks and regards,
Mike

[Juan Caiti]

Mike, that's because the last posts talk about of gravity fed lamps, and they work under the same principle of the pressure lamps. Look for some topic involving Tito Landi lamps. Also there is a manual in the manual section Tito Landi manual. . There you will see how the burner is made. The wick (most of the time cotton) dirves the fuel to the hot top of the burner where it goes in vapor; the wick's capilarity is stronghest than the vapour pressure in the highest part of the burner, so the vapour fuel escapes trough the jet.

Best regards,

Juan

edited by admin - shorten the link

[Mike Ran]

thanks Juan

that link to the Tito Landi lamp helped. Now I get it. I am surprised that they work. to think that the fuel raised by the wick can bring enough fuel to vaporize and have enough pressure and volume to operate a mantle seems amazing to me. Do the Aladdin's work this way?

Regards,
Mike

[Wim van der Velden]

Hi Mike,

No Aladdin lamps work different. For a good idea about the why lamps light please take a look at an old study from Ramsey (no not the %%$cook) on pressure lamps.

It is not easy to make a good description that suits everybody. All (?) our lamps light with the vaporized fuel, in one or another form, so you can say all our lamps are vapour lamps. But then you want to divide this group.
A mantle needs heat to light, hence the definition "blue flame". A flame that burns blue is a hot one but doesn't give light from its own.

[Mike Ran]

Wim van der Velden

thanks for the old study link. Again it comes clear. A good point that they are all vapour lamps when you get right down to it. I am amazed that the wicks can bring up enough fuel and that it can go to vapour in enough volume to make a mantle incandesce. a pressure lamp is easier for me to get my mind around. A lot to learn.

Kind Regards,
Mike

[Juan Caiti]

I am amazed that the wicks can bring up enough fuel and that it can go to vapour in enough volume to make a mantle incandesce. a pressure lamp is easier for me to get my mind around. A lot to learn.

Kind Regards,
Mike

It is a matter of capillarity. The tighty wick within the tube drives the fuel to the burner because of there are a lot of capillars tubes there. Just think a point: there are a lot of trees on the world from 20 to 30 metres high, but there are also some other passing 100 metres. The water they need is transported from the roots using this capillar force: so, 100 metres means 10 atmosferes or kg/cm2. I don't mean that the pressure in a vapour burner is 10 kg/cm2 but for sure will be a couple of kg at least. So easy principle and that's why if the wicks are not so tight, the lamps don't work properly: not enough pressure.
Juan