They are useful, but you should really only have one at a time. Having multiple open flames in a lab is just generally a bad idea. Especially since
alcohol burners can do this thing where the air heats up inside them, building up pressure, which forces more fuel out through the wick, until the
alcohol in the burner starts to boil, increasing the pressure further, etc. Granted, a properly designed lamp shouldn't do this, but a malfunctioning
one could.
If you need to heat something to about 60-80C, these things are extremely cheap, and work quite well:
www.ebay.com/itm/371514177628
You can insulate your flask if you want to make it warmer. |