I discovered that when there's a fire burning above a tea light candle filled with water mixed with oil and soap, the water boils away and the oil is consumed in the fire.
As the oil micelles boil, turn to gas and burn, new micelles take their place at the surface, creating a continuous flame.
I took a small tea light candle emptied it from its contents, and filled it mostly with water and a thin layer of soy bean oil. I then took a burnt match, dipped it in oil and lit it.
When I dip the flame into the oil it diminishes, because there is not enough heat to bring all the oil to the temperature of combustion. But if I hold the match above the oil almost touch it, there is a continuous flame.
I then added detergent (or soap) to the candle and mixed the oil so it completely dissolved in the water.
When dipping a burnt match into the solution, then taking it out and lighting it, there are first a few sparks while the water boils and then a steady flame, just like the clean oil burning.
When I dip a lit match in the solution it is extinguished, just like dipping it in water.
But when I put the burnt match, now lit after dipping in the solution as described above, with the fire close to the solution and not touching it, there is a steady flame as described at the beginning.
I have no idea what this is useful for. Maybe you can think of something.-- pashute, Nov 23 2012 Orimulsion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OrimulsionWidely Known To Be Flammable. [8th of 7, Nov 24 2012] //When I dip the flame into the oil it diminishes, because there is not enough heat to bring all the oil to the temperature of combustion.//
Some of the heat will be carried away by the water.
It might be interesting to try it with different oil/water ratios to see what effect it has.-- Wrongfellow, Nov 23 2012 It's called "Orimulsion", and it's Baked.
<link>-- 8th of 7, Nov 24 2012 Interesting. In orimulsion they use 30% water. So its more an oily solution. Anyways, maybe there are other uses.-- pashute, Nov 25 2012 random, halfbakery