I was listening to a podcast https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/the-texas-city-disaster-of-1947-79830003/ about the explosion at Texas City in 1947, that I posted a couple years ago, and they described the cargo in the ships the exploded, and it was Ammonium Nitrate, lots of it.
Something caught on fire on a ship, that heated up the ammonium nitrate, and it began breaking down into nitrous oxide. We all know how that helps other burning stuff burn more.
and, of course, there was just a ship load of explosive ammonium nitrate, in an enclosed, slightly pressurized cargo ship.
https://sciencenotes.org/how-to-make-nitrous-oxide-or-laughing-gas
Ammonium nitrate when heated makes two things, Nitrous Oxide, and water vapor
I read somewhere, the explosion in Beirut was caused when the warehouse housing Ammonia nitrate was being broken into regularly and the local authorities decided to weld the doors shut.
ReplyDeleteRight, I forgot to mention that, it was also mentioned in the podcast... Those morons in Beirut... didn't know what the hell they were doing, had no clue why they were storing a bajillion pounds of explosive, and then... huh? WHat? What do you mean it's bad to light a CUTTING TORCH near that explosive stuff?
DeleteTruly, that idiot with the welder is the 2020 Darwin Prize winner