Propane or acetylene torches are essential tools for an almost endless list of tasks. And while they do their job quite well, they do present a small but not negligible risk since they require containers of highly flammable gas nearby. The SafeFlame torch uses plain water as its fuel instead, along with a healthy dose of electricity. The current electrolyses the water, separating it into oxygen and hydrogen. The system then takes the two gases and doses them in varying proportions to power your flame. This means that by controlling the current and the fuel mixture, the temperature and the length of the flame can be fined tuned to a high degree, ensuring that you never use more heat than is required for the job. Additionally you’ll never have to order, transport, and store flammable gases again, which is that much less to worry about.
Although the product is not on the market yet, it is currently being tested in Europe and should roll out “in the near future”. As for costs, none have been specified but the makers claim they’ve found a way to reduce the need for Platinum, the required catalyst, in order to keep costs down. Whether that means it’ll be affordable, rather than just “not outrageously expensive” remains to be seen.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ Gizmag ]
The cost for m³ of electrolyzed hydrogen is extremely high – its around twice the cost per LHV in physical way and, depending on local electricity cost, 10+ time higher financially. What seems to be more amazing is the current density they seem to achieve in such small device.