
Ask HN: Will the gas burner continue to work if it is turned upside down? - rohan_shah
If I hold a gas stove upside down, will it continue to work normally? Because the gases will want to go &quot;up&quot; but they&#x27;ll have to come &quot;down&quot; to burn and produce fire.
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gus_massa
I'm not 100% sure, but it should work. Something like
[https://www.biotoolswiss.com/microbiological-
instruments-1/b...](https://www.biotoolswiss.com/microbiological-
instruments-1/bunsen-burner/labflame-aero/)

I think the direction of the gas flow is caused mostly by the speed of the gas
that exit the pipe, not gravity. The burner in the stove has some air intake
to mix some air and make a better flame, but I think it should work upside
down (if you fix the moving parts).

Anyway, I couldn't find any experimental verification in a quick search and
I'd really love to see one.

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Someone
Why would gases _“have to come “down” to burn”_?

You need 3 things for a fire: something to burn, oxygen, and heat, so as long
as newly released gas comes into contact with burning gas in the presence of
oxygen, it will burn.

That need not be near the exit of the gas main (for an extreme example, look
at a flame thrower (military ones typically use liquid, but commercial ones
typically use gases such as propane)

Efficiency and cleanliness of burning will likely go down, but I would think
the design of gas exits isn’t that critical to keep a flame burning. One
reason could be that, initially, it isn’t density that controls whether gas
goes up or down, but gas pressure.

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simonblack
If it doesn't work, oxy-acetylene workers are out of business.

[https://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/~/media/Images/Articles/...](https://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/~/media/Images/Articles/Brazing/air-
vs-oxy.jpg)

