Spraying Water Mist on Cigarette Lighter causes Flame to Increase in Size

[newbie123]

The temperature for pyrolysis to occur is (if I remember right)  around 3000 C .. This is much hotter than a cigarette lighter flame, so I doubt that is happening.   The spray bottle might just be helping to combust the gas in the lighter.

[ResinRat2]

This may be related. During Fire Safety Training where I work it was always emphasized that you do not spray water on a burning liquid, such as gasoline or oil, because the water will drop under the buring liquid and cause the fire to SPREAD. I think this is what you are seeing here. The water in a fine mist encounters the burning fuel of the flame and causes it to spread out into a larger volume of gas, just like it causes burning liquid to spread.

What you are probably seeing is just a larger volume of flame, not any type of pyrolysis or molecular splitting of the water molecule.

This is just a guess; I could easily be wrong.

[Davetech]

I think RR2 is closest.  In firefighting training, we were taught about water contacting burning liquids and about blevvy's (pronounced("blevvy"), is an acronym for "boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion"). 

When water is put on burning oil, it not only splashes the oil around, but it explodes into steam, increasing its volume by 1,600 times. This can throw burning oil all around the room including on the unfortunate applicator.

My take on it is the tiny droplets in the water mist are undergoing an instant steam explosion. This would kick the lighter flame around and make it look larger. The orange tint is probably due to some sodium content in the water.

Though it is tempting to think that there is some water being broken down, I don't think so. I think it is just being converted to steam.

[jadaro2600]

The flame may increase in size, but does it increase its energy output?

[newbie123]

The water creates steam which would probably  contribute to energy output