Bunsen burner flame gets colder with air hole fully open

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the observation that a Bunsen burner flame produces a smaller temperature change in a beaker of water when the air hole is fully open. This counterintuitive result occurs because the excess air introduced at maximum opening requires additional energy to heat, which reduces the effective temperature of the flame. The findings highlight the importance of optimal air-fuel ratios in combustion processes.

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mcairtime
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Hello,

My GCSE class just did a practical investigation into how the width of a Bunsen's air hole affects the temperature change of a beaker of water. The entire class found as expected that the size of the temperature change increased as the hole was opened further, but they all found that with the air hole fully open the temperature change was smaller than the previous data point.

Any thoughts as to why?

Thanks very much
 
Science news on Phys.org
Eventually there's more are than needed to react with the fuel and the extra air still has to be heated.
 

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