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What is Apachi+™?

Apachi+ is a high purity fuel gas offering substantial benefits in oxy-fuel cutting, high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying and brazing.

The benefits of Apachi+

Apachi+ offers the following benefits:

• Safer and easier to store than acetylene.
• Less expensive than acetylene.
• High purity product (99.5% propylene).
• Available in bulk.
• High quality performance.
• Wide range of applications, including brazing and high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying.

 

More cost-effective than acetylene—more effective than propane.

Apachi+ not only competes with acetylene in cutting performance and outstrips it for safety and economy, it also outclasses propane, the only other serious contender in the fuel gas market.

Apachi+ offers an unmatched combination of high cutting performance and low process costs.

The technology of cutting with Apachi+

Characteristics of fuel gases
fuel gas	formula	oxygen-to- fuel gas combustion ratio*	flame temperature for oxygen** (°C)
Apachi+	C3H6	4.5	2900
acetylene	C2H2	2.5	3100
Propane	C3H8	5.0	2500
* The volume units of oxygen required to completely burn a unit volume of fuel gas. ** The temperature of the neutral flame. Source: AWS Welding Handbook, 8th edition.

Although the combined cost of both the fuel gas and oxygen represents a small proportion of the total cost of an oxy-fuel operation, making the right choice of fuel gas can significantly cut production costs by cutting down on process times, cylinder handling and cylinder rental. A number of useful attributes meet in Apachi+ enabling this fuel gas to deliver a unique combination of high throughput, cost-effectiveness, quality of cut and operational safety.

Apachi+ cuts at a speed that matches acetylene and outdistances propane. Cuts made with Apachi+ have a uniform kerf width, smooth surfaces and slag falls away or detaches easily from the cut surface.

When it comes to storage and ease-of-use, Apachi+ has all the advantages of LPG and none of the drawbacks of acetylene. It requires fewer fuel gas cylinders than acetylene, less oxygen than propane, can be supplied in bulk, can be piped around a site and it does not clog nozzles or regulators.

Cutting nozzles

Apachi+ produces excellent results when used with the appropriate cutting nozzle design. Nozzles are available from all major equipment suppliers and they also form part of the Air Products Fastparts™ range. Please contact our Customer Services Team for further information.

Safety—the vital factor

Although all fuel gases need to be operated with great care—and operators must understand their properties before using them—Apachi+ is a far safer fuel gas than acetylene. Unlike acetylene, which is inherently unstable, Apachi+ is stored as a liquid and does not require containment in a stabilising medium (acetone). It ignites easily but has a far smaller flammable range (2.4%-10.1%) compared to acetylene (2.5%-81%). Apachi+ is non-toxic and generally non-corrosive.*

Analysis

Apachi+ is pure propylene (C3H6).

* Apachi+ is supplied with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). All users must know and understand the properties of Apachi+ before use.

Parameters for cutting with Apachi+
plate thickness (mm)	cutting oxygen diameter (inch)	stand off (mm)	travel speed (mm/min)	heating O2		Apachi+		cutting O2
				pressure (psi)	actual flow (1/min)	pressure (psi)	actual flow (1/min)	pressure (psi)	actual flow (1/min)
6 12.5 25 50	3/64" 3/64" 1/16" 1/16"	3 4 4 5	600 450 450 400	20 20 20 20	13.83 13.83 21.51 21.51	4 4 10 10	2.77 2.77 6.38 6.38	40 45 60 60	36.71 47.95 81.51 85.80

 

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