Sunday, Jul 22, 2007 at 07:50
When carbon compounds are burned, for example propane C3H6 with insufficient oxygen available, products include C (carbon as black smoke), CO (carbon monoxide, CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2O (water, in the form of stream vapour).
If you can blast oxygen into the reaction (like in a blast furnace), only CO2 and H2O are produced. We exhale CO2 and H2O as a result of respiration (breathing).
The amount of carbon monoxide produced depends on the efficiency of the burner and the amount of oxygen available from the surrounding air. Ventilation is required not only to help remove the products of the reaction (burning), but to replenish the oxygen which has been used in the reaction.
Catalytic burners are advertised as producing less of the poisonous carbon monoxide. The platinum does get used up in the reaction, but provides an easier pathway for the oxygen to bond with the CO to produce CO2 and NO to go to NO2. Again, in order to do this, sufficient oxygen must be available from the surrounding air, hence the need for adequate ventilation.
I have one of these heaters, and use it with adequate ventilation inside enclosed areas, for which they were originally designed. Just need to use some CDF (common sense) as they would say in the Pussers (Navy)
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