Temp of Wood Flames?

[rarefish383]

Ted, thanks, that's the point I was getting at, the original question, and the results of the study quoted. No matter what wood was tested, the temp of the flames were the same. So, just as you said, the flame does not tell us much, thanks, Joe.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Flames usually mean the wood is burning and not smouldering. And, I've never seen a cold flame that clogs up chimneys with creosote. I suppose I could be wrong. On the other hand, if the wood is "burning" with no flames at all and producing nothing but lots of smoke while trying to burn green wood, well...

 

[muddstopper]

Flames can be a lot of different temps. there is even a color chart for flames to use for estimateing temps.
COLOR TEMPERATURES OF HEAT
Dull red-500°-600°
Dark red-600°-800°
Bright red-800°-1000°
Yellow red-1000°-1200°
Bright yellow=1200°-1400°
White-1400°-1600°
Wood also ignites at different temps,
Reactions to temperature exposure

Reaction
Temperature (Celsius)

Wood slowly chars*-120°-150°
Decayed wood ignites-150°
Ignition temp of various woods-190°-260°
* wood chars at a rate of approximately 30-50 mm/hour

To suggest that a set wood flame temp for different species of wood would hinge on whether all the wood tested was of the same density, moisture content, and has the same amount of air flow. Not going to happen in the real world. Dyer wood will require less heat to ignite and burn hotter once lit than similar type/size of wood with a higher moisture content. The color of the flame will show this, as will the creosote build up in your chimney. Creosote needs a temp of around 250* to be emitted as smoke from a chimney. Moisture in wet wood can keep the temps in a chimney down to around the boiling point of water, 212*. Lower chimney temps are a result of a low flame temperature. The flame temps are effected by air flow and moisture.

 

[cumminstinkerer]

muddstopper,
where does blue and green fall in the temps chart, with my setup I get lots of good blue flame too?

 

[muddstopper]

http://maggiemaggio.com/color/2011/08/fire-ii-color-and-temperature/

 

[Ted Jenkins]

What happens when you shred some copper wire and throw it into the fire. Every color under the sun streaks across the screen. Burns up some of the chimney soot too. Thanks

 

[muddstopper]

Ted, I have read a lot of posts about burning alum cans and copper wire as a method to remove creosote. I personally dont put a lot of stock in the theory that the cans or wire are doing anything toward removing creosote. Instead, I think the high heat generated from the process is more likely to be what is burning off the creosote. From what I have read, or remember, it seems that their is nothing in the alum or copper to react with the creosote except with the introduction of oxygen that is required to increase the temps in the stove and it is actually the oxygen that is burning up the creosote. This is nothing I have studied, just casual reading and running across stuff, so this is nothing more than just my opinion.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Based on the temperature table muddstopper shows in post #23, it makes my thermometer readings, located 2" above my secondary combustion chamber, even more interesting. There are times when it can reach 1450 F, although the average high is about 1200 F. That would mean that the steel escape grid (igniter plate) that allows the exhaust gas to past through to the chimney flue must be about yellow-red or so.


Needless to say, I have no intention of removing the plate right above it that holds the thermometer in order to take a peek when it's that hot. No wonder I can fry bacon and eggs on top this stove (Federal Airtight 288).