a hydrocarbon - containing gas is mixed with an oxygen gas in a gas mixer in the presence of coarse water droplet environment , e . g ., a ‘ rainy ’ or ‘ driving rainstorm ’ environment in which the water droplets generally have a size greater than 200 microns smd . the water droplets surround and contact entrained particles in either the oxygen gas stream or the hydrocarbon - containing gas stream . the water acts to suppress , prevent and quench ignition of the hydrocarbon gas in the mixer which would otherwise be caused by energetic collisions between such particles and structures within the gas mixer . in one configuration the gas mixer includes water pipes having coarse water droplet - producing nozzles at the peripheral end thereof concentrically located within oxygen supply pipes . additionally , nozzles introduce coarse water droplets into a pipe carrying the hydrocarbon gas and forming a mixing chamber for the hydrocarbon and oxygen gases .