Re: London "Bombs"

Jean Smith wrote:
I've glad to see the ineptitude continues. Hopefully, their fingerprints are all over the cars the cans and arrests will be made before the perps figure out what they need to have an explosion. Searching Google Groups on this subject brings up lots of speculation, such as, the smoke in the first car being fuel vapor (which could explain the intoxication), and lots of skepticism and derision. If they had a good fire going in spilled gas, would the propane spilled from the pressure relief valves put the fire out by driving out whatever oxygen had not already been consumed?

My first reaction to this when I heard the news was disbelief at the hysteria in the news media. Sure, it might produce one heck of a fire ball, but would the nails, etc., produce a shrapnel-like effect? I doubt it.

As far as explosive capability, gasoline ranks up there pretty high, but it needs to be vaporized and mixed with oxygen. Otherwise, it just burns. Propane has less energy content. If the fire provided by the gasoline caused the tanks to rupture, it would produce a fireball, but not much more. More likely, the pressure relief valves would vent, producing some flame, but not an explosion unless the temperature got high enough to cause the tanks to rupture. In any case, it would not be expected to product the same explosive effect of more conventional explosives.

I wouldn't want to bet on the heavier propane extinguishing a fire, however!



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Relevant Pages

  • Re: London "Bombs"
    ... are all over the cars the cans and arrests will be made before the perps ... figure out what they need to have an explosion. ... If they had a good fire going in spilled gas, ... I think the reaction in the U.S. to similar attacks would be ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: London "Bombs"
    ... are all over the cars the cans and arrests will be made before the perps figure out what they need to have an explosion. ... If they had a good fire going in spilled gas, would the propane spilled from the pressure relief valves put the fire out by driving out whatever oxygen had not already been consumed? ... More likely, the pressure relief valves would vent, producing some flame, but not an explosion unless the temperature got high enough to cause the tanks to rupture. ... I think the reaction in the U.S. to similar attacks would be ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: London "Bombs"
    ... are all over the cars the cans and arrests will be made before the perps ... figure out what they need to have an explosion. ... If they had a good fire going in spilled gas, ... I think the reaction in the U.S. to similar attacks would be ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: London "Bombs"
    ... are all over the cars the cans and arrests will be made before the perps ... figure out what they need to have an explosion. ... If they had a good fire going in spilled gas, ... I think the reaction in the U.S. to similar attacks would be ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: London "Bombs"
    ... >> are all over the cars the cans and arrests will be made before the>> perps ... >> figure out what they need to have an explosion. ... If they had a good fire going in spilled gas, ... I think the reaction in the U.S. to similar attacks would be ...
    (soc.retirement)