How does the Olympic torch work?
One of the greatest spectacles of the Olympics is the lighting of the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony. The torch is carried to the stadium and lit the flame that never goes out. But you know how this ritual works? If not, see now.
Sorry for not having posted yesterday. The power outages have not helped much ;D
It sounds simple, but not that much. The torch is like a lighter sophisticated: it has a liquid fuel and a system that turns the gas to burn. Nowadays, carry this “lighter giant” is a breeze, but it was not always so.
Before the torches were steel — heavier than the current aluminum — and used as fuel oil and even gunpowder! The old torches could form embers falling down and hurting their drivers during the relay — created in the Berlin Games in 1936.
How is it lit?
— To light the Olympic flame is recreated a scenario that mimics the commencement ceremony of the Games in Antiquity. A temple in the city of Olympia, Greece, actresses dressed as priestesses put a bit of dry grass inside skaphia, a kind of pan with mirrored interior.
— The mirrors concentrate the sun’s rays and the heat causes the grass to catch fire. A priestess hillside with a torch wick — which mimics the ancient — and lit the Olympic flame. In another temple, the stadium of Olympia, the torch Beijing receives the symbolic fire to start the relay.
The cartridge containing liquid propane pressure will embedded within the torch, and a tube connects to the top. When a valve opens, the pressure drops and rises in the form of propane gas, feeding the flame. Each propane torch is enough to burn for about 15 minutes.
The lantern
Few people know, but the Olympic flame is preserved and not a flashlight torch, which, as is clear in the protests this year for the liberation of Tibet, is in danger of being erased during the relay. It is the fire of the torch torches are lit.
— The lantern has two cartridges connected propane. When one ends, the other goes into action. This allows them to be exchanged without fire burn. The flame is still protected by a glass door, and travel safely in cars and airplanes.
Source: Mundo Estranho
