What determines the rate at which acetylene can be drawn from a cylinder?

• A. Temperature of cylinder
• B. Capacity of cylinder
• C. Amount of acetylene remaining
• D. All of the above

Answer: (B)

The amount of gas available in the cylinder sets how quickly you can sustain drawing acetylene. A cylinder with greater capacity contains more acetylene at the operating pressure, so you can maintain the chosen flow rate for a longer period before the pressure drops enough to reduce the flow. Temperature can cause minor pressure changes, but under normal conditions it doesn’t govern how fast you can draw gas as the capacity does. The key idea is that how much gas is left determines how long you can keep pulling at a given rate, so the cylinder’s capacity is the primary factor.