Yeah, that was my guess, but I don't quite get the explosion - there's no containment for the steam Unless the steam is decomposing to hydrogen and oxygen, in which case, they need to try the experiment over a tank of water. Pick me, pick me.
I'm not sure - the latent heat of water at melting and boiling is enormous - I'm not sure all that much steam would be produced (I need to check the reaction heat for thermite).
The ice would be loose-packed, not much opportunity for containment.
I still want to try the bucket of water experiment.
The Mythbusters seemed to think it’s a mystery. It didn’t seem so to me. When molten metal hits ice, it explodes. Perhaps the mystery is why that happens. Or why “thermite” would have a bigger boom than say, iron alone (although they didn’t compare other metals).
It is possible that the ice & water cools a shell of metal around the burning fuel, turning it into a bomb. They could try it again with solid CO2, or some frozen material, to see if it’s a “hydrogen from the water” thing.
I'm thinking there's fertile ground for research to figure out the chemistry of that explosion!
Some of the metals in thermite will continue to burn in water, since they burn hot enough to break the bonds of the water molecules. It's hard to see how that would generate enough hydrogen quickly enough for an explosion that powerful.
Perhaps once you have a cloud of superheated water vapor filled with thermite powder, that is explosive.
Yep. I'm with DrC on this one. The iron in the thermite will continue to combust in the presence of ice (potentially powdered water?). Combine that with the evaporation/pressure + aerosol hypotheses and that fact that it goes BOOM! seems very logical.
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/53788/detail/
ReplyDeleteNow, where did I put that tin of aluminium powder?
ReplyDeleteI think it's caused by superheated steam... I mean, that'd probably do it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was my guess, but I don't quite get the explosion - there's no containment for the steam
ReplyDeleteUnless the steam is decomposing to hydrogen and oxygen, in which case, they need to try the experiment over a tank of water.
Pick me, pick me.
I'm sure I can't be the only male on this planet thinking about "Kari's butt scan" episode
ReplyDeleteWell, superheated steam (from that amount of ice) must expand very rapidly...
ReplyDelete//No containment// Apart from the rest of the ice which, too, will shortly be expaning rapidly ?
I'm not sure - the latent heat of water at melting and boiling is enormous - I'm not sure all that much steam would be produced (I need to check the reaction heat for thermite).
ReplyDeleteThe ice would be loose-packed, not much opportunity for containment.
I still want to try the bucket of water experiment.
The Mythbusters seemed to think it’s a mystery. It didn’t seem so to me. When molten metal hits ice, it explodes. Perhaps the mystery is why that happens. Or why “thermite” would have a bigger boom than say, iron alone (although they didn’t compare other metals).
ReplyDeleteIt is possible that the ice & water cools a shell of metal around the burning fuel, turning it into a bomb. They could try it again with solid CO2, or some frozen material, to see if it’s a “hydrogen from the water” thing.
There's a sense of authority in that statement.
ReplyDeleteMany wrecked ice-rinks/steelworks near you? :-)
I'm thinking there's fertile ground for research to figure out the chemistry of that explosion!
ReplyDeleteSome of the metals in thermite will continue to burn in water, since they burn hot enough to break the bonds of the water molecules. It's hard to see how that would generate enough hydrogen quickly enough for an explosion that powerful.
Perhaps once you have a cloud of superheated water vapor filled with thermite powder, that is explosive.
Yep. I'm with DrC on this one. The iron in the thermite will continue to combust in the presence of ice (potentially powdered water?). Combine that with the evaporation/pressure + aerosol hypotheses and that fact that it goes BOOM! seems very logical.
ReplyDeleteYay!
Now, that's an interesting idea.
ReplyDelete