Fueling Candles into the
Future
Dustin Sinclair, CRM
Mike Cales, Senior Research Scientist
Atkins & Pearce, Inc.
Amy Claxton’s “Petroleum Wax Supply
for Candles…Waxing and Waning”
Introduction
• After last year’s NCA Show it was clear to
Atkins & Pearce that alternative fuel
sources (fuels other than pure paraffin)
would start to become more prevalent in
the market place.
• Candle manufactures were urged to be
flexible as changes in the market place
occurred.
How Does This Affect Wick
Manufactures?
• As a leading wick manufacturer, Atkins &
Pearce, needs to also be flexible to
changes in the market.
• As waxes and candle formulations
change, the candle solutions will
undoubtedly change as well.
Where to Begin?
• In order to meet the
needs of the
marketplace we must
first understand what
those needs are.
Ask the Experts
• We polled several of
you the candle
manufactures to see
what was new in the
industry.
What Types of Waxes are Being
Used?
• Candle manufactures polled said:
– 65-75% of their candles contained some
alternative wax.
– Most of these alternative waxes were used in
container candles
Are There Any Issues With the New
Waxes?
• The three highest problems identified in
regards to the alternative waxes.
– Reduced ROC
• Diminished ROC in alternative waxes
– Wax Pool Diameter
• Harder to get wax pool to burn to edges with
alternative waxes
– Carbon heading
• Increased carbon heading with alternative waxes
Do You See What I See?
• We needed to
quantify the
observations we had
seen and heard from
the field.
Our Testing
– Paraffin used as baseline
– Used 2 different natural waxes
• 50/50 blend (50 paraffin/50 soy)
• 100% soy
– Each of the three waxes tested had the same
melt point (125-130 F) per MSDS sheets.
– Each wick was tested in identical conditions.
Testing Cont’d
• We collected the following data from each
wick:
– Flame Height (cm)
– Wax Pool Diameter (cm)
– Carbon Head (scale 1-5)
– Wick Posture (clock)
– After Glow (s)/After Smoke (s)
– ROC (g/hr)
Our Findings
• The data supports the
claims made from the
field.
• Rate of consumption
goes down, wax pool
decreases, and
carbon heading is
increased in the
alternative waxes.
Reduced ROC
• Rate of Consumption refers to the amount
of wax consumed by the candle during a
burn. ROC is measured in grams per
hour.
• Reduced ROCs in alternative waxes has
been seen in the field, and was verified by
our testing.
Our Data
ROC BY WAX TYPE
6.00
5.00
4.00
ROC (g/hr)
PARAFFIN
50/50
SOY
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
Aroma-Lite200
34-40 C
34-24 P
HTP-41
HTP-73
WICK
HTP-105
27R
PERFORM
A-80
PERFORM
A-85
Why the Reduction in ROC?
• A significant difference in the viscosity of
the waxes seems to be the major
contributor to the differences in rate of
consumption of the different waxes.
• The fuel value of the wax will play a role
as well.
• Polarity may also have an affect on the
rate of consumption
Viscosity
• Viscosity of the waxes
can play a major role
in the wick’s ability to
draw the wax up the
wick.
• The viscosity of the
paraffin is 5.07 cP @
90 C compared to the
soy at 12 cP @ 90 C.
Heat Energy of Fuel
• Heat energy, measured in J/g, tells us how
much energy is produced by burning one
gram of a given fuel.
• Atkins and Pearce used a simple
experiment to determine the heat energy
for the three waxes we were evaluating.
The Experiment
• Using the setup seen
in the picture we
tested the three
waxes.
• We used the same
wick, over the same
time interval.
Our Results
Water Temp (Celsius)
Water Calorimeter Temp VS Time
3 candle types
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Paraffin
Soy
Mixed
0
2
4
6
Time (minutes)
8
10
12
Results Cont’d
•
Using the equation Mass of Wax*Fuel value=Mass of Water*Specific Heat of
Water*Change in Temperature of Water we were able to determine the fuel value of
each wax.
Polarity
• There is also a the idea of polarity to
consider. At this time we have no hard
data to share, but we would like to spend
some time on the notion that polarity could
be having an affect with the natural waxes.
Paraffin wax is non-polar, thus historically
we have not had to consider polarity when
talking about candles.
Polarity Cont’d
• Cotton which is a cellulose material that is
polar and the natural wax is also polar
could have a natural attraction for each
other slowing the rate at which the wax is
carried up the wick.
Think of it as a Highway
• Paraffin because it is
non-polar rides in the
fast lane as it goes up
the wick.
• The natural waxes on
the other hand are
slowed down by their
attraction to the wick.
Reduced Wax Pool Diameter
• A decrease in wax
pool diameter in the
alternative waxes was
reported from the
field, and was
confirmed by our
data.
Our Data
WAX POOL BY WAX TYPE
8.0
7.0
6.0
WAX POOL (cm)
5.0
PARAFFIN
50/50
4.0
SOY
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Aroma-Lite200
34-40 C
34-24 P
HTP-41
HTP-73
WICK
HTP-105
27R
PERFORM PERFORM
A-85
A-80
Why the Reduction in Wax Pool
Diameter?
• Differences in a few key areas could be
contributing to the decrease in the wax
pool diameter:
– Latent heat of fusion
– Fuel value of waxes
– ROC
Melt Profile for the Waxes
• Using a DSC (Differential Scanning
Calorimeter) we were able to determine
the melt point of the waxes, as well as,
their latent heat of fusion.
– Latent heat of fusion refers to the amount of
energy it takes to convert one gram of solid
material to its liquid form.
Melt Profile for Paraffin
Melt Profile for Soy
Melt Profile for 50/50 Blend
Summary of DSC Results
• Soy wax starts to melt at a much lower
temperature than paraffin.
• It takes one and a half times more energy
to melt a gram of paraffin when compared
to the soy.
Conclusions of DSC Testing
• With the data that from the DSC we would
actually anticipate soy wax to have a
larger wax pool than the paraffin.
However, as displayed by the bar graph
earlier this is actually not the case.
• We have to ask ourselves what other
factors are coming into play when we look
at the wax pool.
Other Factors
• When looking at the data it is easy to
notice the differences between the wax
pool diameters, however, it is also
important to look at the depth of the wax
pools and the volume of wax in the pool.
Wax Pool Depth
Wax Pool Depth
0.7
0.6
0.5
cm
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Paraf f in
Soy
50/50
Wax
• The soy wax pool is almost two times as deep when
compared to the depth of the paraffin wax pool.
Volume of Molten Wax
Wax Pool Volume
12
10
mL
8
6
4
2
0
Paraffin
Soy
Wax
50/50
Summary
• Although the wax pool may be smaller in
diameter with the soy wax, the total
volume of molten wax in the pool is
significantly higher.
• This helps to explain the DSC results.
Power
Paraffin
Soy
50/50
Delta T Water
34.6
28.9
23.4
Degrees C
Mass Water
99.4
99.6
99.4
grams
Energy gained by water
14376.02
12031.88
9722.513
Joules
Starting mass candle
13.9779
16.743
14.8202
grams
Final mass candle
13.2701
16.0685
14.3892
grams
Mass Candle Burned
0.7078
0.6745
0.431
grams
Fuel Value Candle
20310.86
17838.22
22558.03
J/g
Power = energy/time
23.96
20.05
16.2
Watts
Heat capacity 4.18
Fuel Value/ROC
• The fuel value predicts the wax pool
diameter.
• The heat given off by a candle is directly
related to the amount of fuel it can bring
up the wick.
• As the rate of consumption increases the
wax pool diameter will increase.
Increased Carbon Head
• Reports from the field
indicated there to be
an increase in the
amount of carbon
build up on the wick
when using
alternative waxes.
• Our data confirmed
these reports.
E
R
P
-1
40
-8
5
M
A
-8
0
M
A
27
R
15
R
-1
05
-7
3
TP
M
A
R
P
P
C
C
-4
1
TP
TP
R
R
FO
FO
H
H
H
24
34
-
24
28
-
40
34
-
24
28
-
0
00
aLi
te
-6
aLi
te
-2
FO
E
R
P
E
R
P
ro
m
A
ro
m
A
Our Data
Carbon Head
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
Paraffin
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Soy
How Does a Carbon Head Form?
• When unburned fuel collects back onto the
tip of the wick it forms a build up we call
carbon head.
• Some believe that carbon heads are
actually extruded from the wick, however,
as the next few slides show it is actually a
reattachment.
Why the Increase in Carbon Head?
• We believe this is directly related to the
fuel value of the wax being burned. The
lower the fuel value of the wax, the higher
the chance for incomplete combustion.
• Polarity of the wax.
How Can the Wick Help?
• Solutions will vary from candle to candle,
and there is no “miracle” wick. However,
there are ways to help with some of the
issues we have talked about.
The Wick and ROC
• Given the nature of the natural waxes we
experimented with there are only a couple
of wick answers:
– Use a larger wick
– Use a wick with a more open construction
• In candles with higher amounts of stearic
acid a treatment to fight against acid
attack may be needed.
Stearic Acid Candles and ROC
#2 Palm Wax Treatment- Untreated
0.0014
0.0012
g/sec
0.0010
0.0008
g/sec
0.0006
0.0004
0.0002
0.0000
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
min
200.00
250.00
300.00
Our Treatment
#2 Palm Wax Treatment-Treated
0.0014
0.0012
g/sec
0.0010
0.0008
g/sec
0.0006
0.0004
0.0002
0.0000
0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
min
120.00
140.00
160.00
180.00
200.00
The Wick and the Wax Pool
• The characteristics of the wax again play a
large role here. There are a few options
here:
– Larger wick
– Wick with open construction
– Dual wick system (Not as scary as you might
think)
Dual Wick System
• There seems to be a perception that a
dual wick system will cost more money.
– The fact is in some cases it will save you
money.
• 4” jar candle used HTP-126 as a single wick
system and was able to use HTP-41 as a dual wick
system. Based on sales costs it is actually less
expensive to purchase the dual wick because of
the yield difference.
– Using a smaller wick will also lead to a
cleaner burning candle.
The Wick and Carbon Head
• Making sure the wick is properly sized is
the first step to reducing the risk of carbon
head.
• Using a wick that curls is also another
solution.
– 90% of wicks receiving a rating of one curled
between the 2:30 and 3 position.
• Treatments are a new, exciting alternative
as well.
Carbon Head Treatment
Carbon Head
Treated vs Untreated
4
3.5
Amount of CH
3
2.5
Untreated
2
Treated
1.5
1
0.5
0
Paraffin Wax
Soy Wax
Wax
How Does it Work?
• The treatment works
in the same fashion
as aluminum siding.
• The treatment coats
the wick and when
particles try to
reattach themselves
back onto the wick,
the treatment causes
the particles to slide
off.
Afterglow/After smoke
• A treatment on the wick can dramatically
reduce the amount of afterglow/after
smoke seen with a given wick.
– The great thing about the treatment is it can
be added to virtually any wick.
Afterglow/After smoke
AFTER GLOW
16.00
14.00
12.00
SECONDS
10.00
NO TREATMENT
8.00
WITH TREATMENT
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
34-40 C
Aroma-Lite-120
WICK
HTP-73
Conclusion
• As we experiment with waxes other than
pure paraffin, we must adapt to the
attributes of the new waxes.
• Polarity, lower fuel values, and higher
viscosities are issues many of us have not
dealt with in large quantities.
• It is important to remember the wick, along
with treatments, can help overcome but
cannot change these attributes.
Question/Discussion
Dustin Sinclair
Atkins & Pearce, Inc.
dustin.sinclair@atkinsandpearce.com