Re: I-75 closed N of Detroit
- From: richard <member@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:11:44 -0500
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:02:19 -0400, Larry Harvilla
<larry@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gary V wrote:
A tanker tipped and burned on I-75 at Nine Mile Road, just north of
the Detroit city limits. I-75 is closed NB at 8 Mile, SB at I-696.
The 9 Mile bridge has collapsed onto the SB lanes in the fire. No
reports on injuries.
http://freep.com/article/20090716/NEWS05/907160605/No-deaths-in-I-75-blast-thanks-to-alert-truckers
I think the article slightly over-inflated the amounts of each product
involved in the fire. Michigan-style fuel tankers are almost always
built to a 13,400-gallon capacity, and I'm thinking 9,400 gallons of gas
and 4,000 of diesel would make a lot more sense than the reported 9,600
and 4,600.
It was probably that split-product loading that caused the fire to be so
huge as to destroy a bridge. Gasoline ignites much more easily, with a
flash point of -45F vs. diesel's +141F, but it has lower energy content
(less BTU/gal) than diesel. What that means is, a gas fire will burn
quickly but release less heat, while a diesel fire -- though much harder
to ignite -- will burn much hotter and longer.
This is likely what happened here. The gas probably caught fire almost
immediately upon rupture of the tank, and in so doing acted as an
accelerant to ignite the diesel, which then caused the massive fire.
Any-who, the aftermath of this is that the Nine Mile Rd overpass over
I-75 is history -- half of it incinerated, and the other half almost
certain to require demolition -- and I-75 is closed until further notice
between I-696 and Seven Mile Rd. Detours include Woodward, Dequindre,
Mound, and possibly Van Dyke.
(cross-posted to Yahoo! greatlakesroads)
Sorry, but it's a proven fact. Regular fuel will not burn unless temps
are at least 475 degrees. It surely as hell does not explode.
Diesel though, has a lower flash point. The main reason either explode
is due to something triggering it.
Most likely the fuel tanks of the tractor were ruptured, then ignited
by a spark. If the tractor has enough fuel, the flames will cause the
tanker trailer to get hot enough to ignite. Diesel first, then the
regular gas.
You can check this out on the discovery channel website.
Their tv show, "Mythbusters" explored this. Not even a lit cigarette
will cause the fuel to ignite. Unless you apply Hollywood magic.
www.discovery.com/mythbusters
Actually, what you are referring to as the flash point, is known as
autoignition point. 475 degrees for petro, 410 degrees for diesel and
jet fuel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point
.
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