Butane gas stove at low temperatures

 

 We took our new gas stove to Silloth for a cup of tea. It worked well in our kitchen but didn't perform well outside. Eventually I remembered that butane is not good in low temperatures. The reason is that the boiling point of butane is -0.5 degrees Celsius. It is harder for the butane liquid in the canister to evaporate at low temperatures. It is the vapour that burns so the flame is not as strong.

 

 

 The problem is made worse by the adiabatic cooling of the expanding gas as it leaves the cylinder to go into the burner. It chills the canister further. Evidence of this was a lot of condensation on the outside of the tin.