Brk: Massive explosion in China. Cause currently unclear.

[ljk]

fire started at 22:50, the very 1st fire engine arrived at 23:06, 1st explosion happened at 23:30, 30 seconds later is the 2nd(way bigger) explosion.

at that time, there were 38 fire engines/water tankers on site fighting the fire, 17 confirmed death so far, 32 critical, mostly are, sadly, firefighters.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

It should run automagically.

I have no idea what it is or what this means, but I know I want in on it.

No OSHA in China, I assume.....

Socialist! Oh, wait...

 

[actaeon277]

fire started at 22:50, the very 1st fire engine arrived at 23:06, 1st explosion happened at 23:30, 30 seconds later is the 2nd(way bigger) explosion.

at that time, there were 38 fire engines/water tankers on site fighting the fire, 17 confirmed death so far, 32 critical, mostly are, sadly, firefighters.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

fire started at 22:50, the very 1st fire engine arrived at 23:06, 1st explosion happened at 23:30, 30 seconds later is the 2nd(way bigger) explosion.

at that time, there were 38 fire engines/water tankers on site fighting the fire, 17 confirmed death so far, 32 critical, mostly are, sadly, firefighters.

Holy cow!

I wonder how many more just...........disappeared.....

 

[IndyDave1776]

Socialist! Oh, wait...

Hush! You almost let the cat out of the bag! We know that socialists are all about control and all about the public good of even the most undeserving until they have power, and then the government looks at those same people, now in virtual chains, and says, "IDGAF".

 

[CountryBoy19]

Try this at your own risk.

I did this to my old glug-glug style gas cans--specifically, I put the valve stems in for vents as shown....and it works perfectly. I can empty a can probably twice as fast as before.

http://youtu.be/0lcnwdIYEfI

I have no idea how we got on the topic of gas-cans but I'll continue the thread-derailment...

I give my gas cans a similar treatment. EZ-pour spout plus valve-stem equals a superior gas can that empties quickly, seals up air-tight for longer storage, and doesn't spill like the CARB crap.

I like the Midwest cans the best; they are much heavier than the Blitz brand.

Most rubber valve-stems swell and degrade when exposed to gas. Skip rubber ones and get metal (chromed brass are pretty easy to find). The seal is likely the same rubber that swells and degrades so you want to replace the seal with a Viton O-ring.

If you use metal valve-stems they have to be installed from the inside. An easy way to install the valve stem is to use a string. Drill hole for valve-stem, slip string through hole, and hold can up to get string to fall out the spout hole. Remove valve-core from valve-stem, slide over the string (stem end first, base last), tie knot in string, pull string until valve-stem feeds into hole, slide nut over string and tighten onto valve-stem...

 

[longbow]

21 ton explosion.... I'm guessing more like 2.1 kilotons of explosive energy....

 

[KittySlayer]

I bet Hillary is really disappointed she had not shipped her server through that port for some warranty service this week.

 

[ljk]

[video=youtube;rUDL9NE-y1A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUDL9NE-y1A[/video]

 

[ArcadiaGP]

You're driving, and you see this.

Question: How much doodie is resting in your pants right now.

[video=youtube;HfXmG3GdAig]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXmG3GdAig[/video]

And here's six different angles synced up

[video=youtube;dgurTdK0PTA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgurTdK0PTA[/video]

 

[T.Lex]

Wow. That first video. Pulling up to the guard shack. "Hmmm... that fire looks ominous." First explosion. "Back the **** up. I'm not going that direction." Second explosion. "Get me the hell out of here."

That composite video - welcome to the new age of portable HD cameras.

 

[devious169]

Aftermath

Oh hell bunch of Chinese beetles burnt to a crisp. So much for German engineering!

 

[devious169]

[video=youtube;rUDL9NE-y1A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUDL9NE-y1A[/video]

This just might **** some Walmart customers off!

 

[GunSlinger]

You're driving, and you see this.

Question: How much doodie is resting in your pants right now.

[video=youtube;HfXmG3GdAig]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXmG3GdAig[/video]

And here's six different angles synced up

[video=youtube;dgurTdK0PTA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgurTdK0PTA[/video]

How much ? ALL of it.

 

[rhino]

Based on the magnitude of the big boom, I am inclined to believe that the initial fire(s) and explosion either vaporized or aerosolized a signifiant amount of what was burning, it accumulated in an enclosed space until just the right concentration was achieved relative to the amount of oxygen present to get an explosive mixture and then . . . that's all she wrote.

I'm suggesting essentially the same thing as a fuel-air bomb, perhaps minus the compression, but on a big enough scale to make up for that. Kind of like the dust and air in a giant flour mill got to the sweet spot of relative concentrations and KABLOOEY!

Fuel-air bombs make anything short of a nuke look like a toy by comparison.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Who here is a big fan of the "replacement" spouts for old gas cans....not for newer ones, certainly.

EZ- Pour Replacement Spout Kit 10050 by Ez-pour for $9.99 in Fuel Transfer - Lube Equipment - Air Compressors - Automotive : Rural King

Better than replacing the can with a new one. I have 2 of these and need a couple more.

 

[T.Lex]

Based on the magnitude of the big boom, I am inclined to believe that the initial fire(s) and explosion either vaporized or aerosolized a signifiant amount of what was burning, it accumulated in an enclosed space until just the right concentration was achieved relative to the amount of oxygen present to get an explosive mixture and then . . . that's all she wrote.

China explosions: Potent chemical mix behind Tianjin blasts - BBC News

Mr Pang said that, going by the magnitude of the blasts, the explosions were caused by chemicals such as potassium nitrate igniting.

I remember my high school science teacher dropping a bit of potassium into water. Pop!

Remember how they said some firefighters had arrived on the scene? Easy to imagine spraying water on stuff without knowing what was there, or the water draining down to the potassium. Might've caused the first explosion, which aerosolized something else that ignited into the big boom.

ETA:
Turns out potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate are both used for solid rocket fuels.

 

[rhino]

China explosions: Potent chemical mix behind Tianjin blasts - BBC News



I remember my high school science teacher dropping a bit of potassium into water. Pop!

Remember how they said some firefighters had arrived on the scene? Easy to imagine spraying water on stuff without knowing what was there, or the water draining down to the potassium. Might've caused the first explosion, which aerosolized something else that ignited into the big boom.

ETA:
Turns out potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate are both used for solid rocket fuels.

Metallic potassium is very reactive with water (forming KOH, H2, and heat). Potassium nitrate is a relatively inert salt that just dissolves in water without any excitement.

Based on the presence of huge amount of calcium carbide, my hypothesis of a fuel-air explosion seems even more likely. When calcium carbide is dropped in water, acetlyene gas is evolved. Burning small amounts of this gas is how old fashioned coal miner's carbide lamps function. A large enclosed space filled with acetylene and air (oxygen) in the right proportions would make an explosion that could easily produce the results that were witnessed this week.

 

[T.Lex]

Metallic potassium is very reactive with water (forming KOH, H2, and heat). Potassium nitrate is a relatively inert salt that just dissolves in water without any excitement.

Ok, Denny.

Based on the presence of huge amount of calcium carbide, my hypothesis of a fuel-air explosion seems even more likely. When calcium carbide is dropped in water, acetlyene gas is evolved. Burning small amounts of this gas is how old fashioned coal miner's carbide lamps function. A large enclosed space filled with acetylene and air (oxygen) in the right proportions would make an explosion that could easily produce the results that were witnessed this week.

Nice unDennyfication.

warehouse + acetylene + fire = boom

Got it.

 

[rhino]

Ok, Denny.


Nice unDennyfication.

warehouse + acetylene + fire = boom

Got it.

Holy crap! I didn't even realize I Denny-fied [read that aloud] the thread! D'OH!

I'll try to avoid that in the future.