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Candle Flame Know Different Zones of Flames, Types of Flames
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Environmental Chemistry
Have you ever looked closely at a candle flame? It’s not just a simple glow, it has different parts, colours, and temperatures. A candle flame is a great example to understand how things burn and what happens during combustion. From school labs to daily life, flames help us learn basic sciences in a very visual way. In this article, we’ll explore how a candle flame works, the different zones you can see in it, and the types of flames that exist. This will help you understand combustion better and prepare for questions in chemistry and physics topics.
Candle Flame
Candle flame is a concept that gives an idea about the nature of the flame, its properties, and its classifications. If we consider a burning candle, we can observe it is reflecting brightened light. The source of the flame lies in the reactions carried out, followed by the burning of wax in the air. If we experience the heating zone of the candle flame, we can get different sensations at different regions of the flame. However, it is a fact that the entire burning process is exothermic, and the matter that gets vaporised on heating is incapable of generating flame.
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The intensity of a flame depends on the sources of the fuel utilized during the combustion of matter. When the fuel gas and air are involved, the flame becomes diffused, whereas, under the low flow rate of gas, the flame comes out, maintaining a constant speed without showing any turbulence. The bunsen burner is widely used for generating flame with uniform flow for laboratory purposes.
Generally, the colour and nature of flame controlled by three factors
- Nature of the source takes part in the combustion
- Quantity of oxygen
- Temperature
Structure of Candle Flame
A candle flame has three main parts: the dark inner zone, the bright yellow middle zone, and the blue outer zone. Each part burns differently and has a different temperature. Learning about these zones helps us understand how a flame and what happens during burning.
The detail features of a candle flame are represented in the picture below:
Different Zones of Candle Flame
The zones of the candle are differentiated based on its colour, intensity and heat sensation. The parts of a candle flame are explained as follows:
- Outermost zone: The flame comes out during the burning of the wax. The outermost bluish part of the flame has almost 1400°C temperature and is non-luminous in nature.
- Middle zone: Middle zone of the flame is created mainly by the incomplete combustion of wax. This yellow-coloured luminous zone with a temperature of 1200°C is responsible for generating ashes and soot.
- Innermost zone: The small hot centralized part of a flame further categorized into two regions:
- Dark zone: Comparatively cooler segment with a temperature of 1000°C is generated by the unburnt wax vapours.
- Blue zone: The coolest part of the flame exists at the base of the flame. The oxidation of vaporized wax produces carbon monoxide, which gets burnt over here to create a bluish flame having a temperature near about 800°C.
Types of Flames
There are two main types of flames:
- Luminous Flame: This is a yellow flame seen in candles. It burns with incomplete combustion, giving more light, but is less hot.
- Non Luminous Flame: This blue flame appears in gas stoves. It burns with complete combustion, gives less light, but is hotter and more efficient
Note- The main differences are in temperature, brightness and how much oxygen is used during burning.
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Difference Between Luminous Flame and Non-Luminous Flame
The difference between luminous and non-luminous flames are discussed below.
|
Parameters |
Luminous Flame |
Non-Luminous Flame |
|
Nature of combustion |
Produces during Incomplete combustion |
Generates by Complete combustion |
|
Flame colour |
Bright yellowish flame |
Bluish flame |
|
Oxygen availability |
Generates in the presence of Insufficient amount of oxygen |
Comes out in the presence of affluent oxygen |
|
Heat sensation |
Less hot |
Hotter compared to a luminous flame |
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FAQs
Which zone of a candle flame is the hottest?
Outer zone is the hottest part of the candle flame.
Which zone of the candle flame is luminous and why?
Middle zone is the most luminous due to the depletion of oxygen.
What makes the candle flame yellow and luminous?
The burning of soot that is molten wax creates a yellowish luminous flame.
What is the temperature of the candle flame?
The outer part of a candle flame has 1400°C, while the average temperature of flame persists near about 1000°C.
Why does the candle flame always point upwards?
When a candle burns, the flame heats the closest air circle and starts to rise up. As this warm air goes up, cooler air and oxygen come to the bottom of the flame to compensate for the vacancy.