max burton butane

Hi Jerry

Boiling point of n-butane is 30 F to 34 F, isobutane is 8 to 16 F, propane is -44 F.  I guess the data sheet means it’s a mixture of propane, isobutane, and n-butane.

Well, for a start, those figures are technically wrong. Pure gases have a precise boiling point (at standard pressure); quoting a range is just ignorance or wrong.

The canisters sound like rebadged Chinese, even though the companies are South Korean. The Chinese tend to use very crude mixtures – unfiltered extracts from the crude LPG stream. They are usually OK when used upright, but if you use them inverted you may get a stream of dirt and heavy hydrocarbon fractions coming out. Some care is indicated: test at home.

Cheers

“but if you use them inverted you may get a stream of dirt and heavy hydrocarbon fractions coming out.”

I’ve heard this before, especially from Roger, and it makes sense.  So I’m imagining an in-line filter, like a fuel filter for a gasoline automobile with a female Lindal valve on one  end and a male Lindal valve on the other.  Then you could move it from canister to canister, presumably only in Winter when you’re using it inverted.  That deals with the dirt.  But only the dirt.

Roger, how heavy are “heavy hydrocarbons”?  Hexane?  Octane?  C20 stuff?  A little pulse of stuff up to C10 I’d expect to burn a little rich and sooty for a short time, but not cause other problems.  Could heavier stuff cook into gums and varnishes and gunk things up the way white gas stoves get after lots of use?

it says made in Korea on Max and Max Burton.  The price is only $1 less than name brand, which is typical of Fred Meyer.  Doesn’t mean quality is less.

The Max Burton and Max canisters are similar.  They have the same pattern on the bottom with lines going out from the center in the middle, and lines running diagonally on the outside.  The Max canisters have clear bottom though, Max Burton a varnish color.  Also, the top part of the canister is shaped slightly different.  So these must be made on slightly different machines.

I’ve used maybe 20 Max Burton canisters in upright with no problem.

I used a couple Jetboil canisters that look identical to the Max Burton, except they specify isobutane/propane mix.  Made in Korea.

I’ve used maybe 10 older Gigapower canisters.  Made in Japan.  Polished bottom.  The top is a little different.  Says isobutane/propane mix.  On one of these, the Lindal valve stuck open, so I had to leave the stove screwed on until it was empty, so the Max Burton cheap-o canisters have actually been better quality (although not statistically)

and I just used range of boiling point from wikipedia.  Maybe it’s for a range of pressures?  But normally it’s for standard atmosphere pressure.  Engineering toolbox just gives one temperature.  Small enough range it doesn’t matter

Decent rule of thumb for n-butane/isobutane/propane vaporization (at sea level) is +31,+11, -44°F.

Re canisters, look for that plastic cap with the diamond with a hole in one corner and a little pull tab. Those all originate at the same factory in Korea. As to what’s in them…?

Directly related thread here.

Hikin’ Jim straightened it all out. :^) Jim quoting Taeyang marketing or some such.

Taeyang Ind. is the largest portable butane gas cartridge maker in the world,<i><b>dominating around 70% of global market share</b></i><b></b> as well as 80% of domestic market share as of 2009. Equipped with advanced facilities covering everything from cartridge printing and coating to gas charging, the company exported its butane gas and cartridge more than 50 countries under the brand name ‘SUN’.

that fred meyer store brand is made by maxSUN

Hi David

Roger, how heavy are “heavy hydrocarbons”?

Well, one canister left a soft white waxy substance on the needle valve, many years ago.  F points to it.

Another canister left an oily liquid on the face of the jet of a vortex burner stove, with the jet probably well over 100 C. I don’t think we are talking about octane here! C20 maybe.

Cheers