Agamassan
Encyclopedia
Agamassan is a porous
substrate used to safely absorb acetylene
and thus allow the transport, storage and commercial exploitation of the otherwise unstable gas. It was developed and patented by the Swedish
Nobel Laureate and industrialist Gustaf Dalén
. Dalén was prominent in developing applications for acetylene.
Acetylene can readily explode when in liquid or solid form or if pressurized beyond approx 100 kPa. Dalén himself was blinded in an acetylene explosion.
In 1896, French chemists Georges Claude
and A. Hess discovered that large quantities of acetylene could be dissolved in acetone
and rendered nonexplosive. As the liquid was reduced by consumption or cooling, explosive acetylene gas would collect in the space above the liquid's surface. The solution was to compress acetylene in a porous medium.
Before Dalén's work, numerous attempts were made to find a mass sufficiently elastic to withstand shock without crumbling and producing cavities filled with explosive acetylene gas.
Today, acetylene is shipped and stored in metal cylinders filled with agamassan, which is half-filled with dimethylformamide
(DMF) or acetone. The acetylene is dissolved in the DMF or acetone. Such cylinders are safe to transport and use.
In Swedish, the porous filler is known as "AGA-massan", which would translate as "AGA mass", "AGA body", or "AGA compound". AGA
was the company Dalén founded. The compound originally consisted of, among other things, asbestos, cement, and coal. The 1930 US patent also mentions kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth
).
Porosity
Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0–1, or as a percentage between 0–100%...
substrate used to safely absorb acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
and thus allow the transport, storage and commercial exploitation of the otherwise unstable gas. It was developed and patented by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Nobel Laureate and industrialist Gustaf Dalén
Gustaf Dalén
Nils Gustaf Dalén was a Swedish Nobel Laureate and industrialist, the founder of the AGA company and inventor of the AGA cooker and the Dalén light...
. Dalén was prominent in developing applications for acetylene.
Acetylene can readily explode when in liquid or solid form or if pressurized beyond approx 100 kPa. Dalén himself was blinded in an acetylene explosion.
In 1896, French chemists Georges Claude
Georges Claude
Georges Claude was a French engineer and inventor. He is noted for his early work on the industrial liquefaction of air, for the invention and commercialization of neon lighting, and for a large experiment on generating energy by pumping cold seawater up from the depths...
and A. Hess discovered that large quantities of acetylene could be dissolved in acetone
Acetone
Acetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...
and rendered nonexplosive. As the liquid was reduced by consumption or cooling, explosive acetylene gas would collect in the space above the liquid's surface. The solution was to compress acetylene in a porous medium.
Before Dalén's work, numerous attempts were made to find a mass sufficiently elastic to withstand shock without crumbling and producing cavities filled with explosive acetylene gas.
Today, acetylene is shipped and stored in metal cylinders filled with agamassan, which is half-filled with dimethylformamide
Dimethylformamide
Dimethylformamide is an organic compound with the formula 2NCH. Commonly abbreviated as DMF , this colourless liquid is miscible with water and the majority of organic liquids. DMF is a common solvent for chemical reactions...
(DMF) or acetone. The acetylene is dissolved in the DMF or acetone. Such cylinders are safe to transport and use.
In Swedish, the porous filler is known as "AGA-massan", which would translate as "AGA mass", "AGA body", or "AGA compound". AGA
AGA AB
AGA AB, previously AB Gasaccumulator and AB Svenska Gasaccumulator, was a Swedish industrial gas company founded in 1904. Nobel Prize laureate Gustaf Dalén was instrumental in the success of the company. Important inventions included the AGA cooker and the Dalén light. In the 1990's AGA conceived...
was the company Dalén founded. The compound originally consisted of, among other things, asbestos, cement, and coal. The 1930 US patent also mentions kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth also known as diatomite or kieselgur/kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 1 micrometre to more than 1 millimetre, but typically 10 to...
).