OT: The Olympic flame

[Chris Hogg]

Lit with much razzmatazz and brouhaha, as always. But this time they were at pains to point out it was fuelled with hydrogen to be more 'environmentally friendly'.

So why is it orange? ;-)

[Tim+]

Presumably some sodium or similar to make the flame more visible.

I wonder how they generated their hydrogen though?

Tim

[Chris Hogg]

It was a rhetorical question

But I hadn't thought of that one. Good point.

[Martin Brown]

They will be mist spraying sodium chloride into it to make it visible. A hydrogen flame is almost impossible to see (methanol is just as bad).

They could easily make it go green or scarlet with other salts.

I question whether or not the energy used to make the hydrogen it will use in a country with no nuclear power any more far exceeds the carbon emissions saved by the notional "purity" of the flame.

You have to give them their due though the fast timing fireworks and drone displays were pretty good. Japanese fireworks are world class!

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes it should be colourless. Besides making hydrogen is very hard energy wise. They should have been using Electricity perhaps? I'm sure it will be replaced by a laser beam in years to come. To be honest its pissing in the see compared with some practices so why worry? Brian