#Gas lighter meaning portable#

An advantage over other naphtha lighters is that the fuel compartment is sealed shut with a rubber o-ring, which slows or stops fuel evaporation. The flame is extinguished by blowing it out before screwing the 'match' back into the shell, where it absorbs fuel for the next use. Its concealed wick catches fire, resembling a match. The fuel-saturated striker/wick assembly is unscrewed to remove, and scratched against a flint on the side of the case to create a spark. This 'metal match' is stored screwed into the fuel storage compartment: the shell. Automobile lighter Ī permanent match lighter with the metal 'match' leaning against the shellĪ typical form of lighter is the permanent match or everlasting match, consisting of a naphtha fuel-filled metal shell and a separate threaded metal rod assembly-the 'match'-serving as the striker and wick. The arc is then applied to a flammable substance to cause ignition. Electric arc lighter Īrc lighters use a spark to create a plasma conduit between electrodes, which is then maintained by a lower voltage. Disadvantages of the jet lighter include a 'roaring' noise in operation, as well as higher fuel consumption. The spark in such lighters is almost always produced by an electric arc (as seen below), but some jet lighters burn with incomplete combustion. Other types Jet lighter Īs opposed to lighters of the naphtha or standard butane type (whether refillable or disposable), which combust incompletely and thus create a sooty, orange 'safety' flame, jet lighters produce a blue flame that in some cases is almost invisible and invariably burns at a far higher temperature. An electric spark starts the initial flame, and soon the coil is hot enough to cause the fuel–air mixture to burn on contact. Instead, windproof lighters mix the fuel with air and pass the butane–air mixture through a catalytic coil. The windproof capabilities are not achieved from higher pressure fuel windproof lighters use the same fuel (butane) as standard lighters, and therefore develop the same vapour pressure. Such lighters are often far hotter than normal lighters (those that use a 'soft flame') and can burn in excess of 1,100 ☌ (2,010 ☏). Some dedicated models double as synthetic rope cutters. Specialized 'windproof' butane lighters are manufactured for demanding conditions such as shipboard, high altitude, and wet climates. The gas jet in butane lighters mixes air and gas by using Bernoulli's principle, requiring air holes in that are much smaller and further from the flame. Ī metal enclosure with air holes, designed to allow mixing of fuel and air while making the lighter less sensitive to wind, usually surrounds the flame. The spark ignites the flammable gas causing a flame to come out of the lighter which continues until either the top is closed (naphtha type), or the valve is released (butane type). Butane lighters combine the striking action with the opening of the valve to release gas.

In naphtha lighters, the liquid is sufficiently volatile, and flammable vapour is present as soon as the top of the lighter is opened. Later piezo ignition was introduced: a piezoelectric crystal is compressed on pressing a button, generating an electric spark. Older lighters were usually ignited by a spark created by striking metal against a lighter flint. Schematic diagram of a lighter's inside workings Different lighter fuels have different characteristics which is the main influence behind the creation and purchasing of a variety of lighter types.

Alternatively, a lighter can be one which uses electricity to create an electric arc utilizing the created plasma as the source of ignition or a heating element can be used in a similar vein to heat the target to it's ignition temperatures, as first formally utilized by Friedrich Wilhelm Schindler to light cigars and now more commonly seen incorporated into the automobile auxiliary power outlet to ignite the target material. rope in a trench lighter, a means of ignition to produce the flame, and some provision for extinguishing the flame or mearly controlling it to such a degree that the user may extinguish it with their breath. A lighter typically consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid, a compressed flammable gas and in rarer cases a flammable solid i.e.

#Gas lighter meaning portable#

A lighter is a portable device which creates a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles or campfires.