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Porcelain shards flew “like a missile”


Silentpoet
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59 minutes ago, Silentpoet said:

https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Lightning-strike-destroys-toilet-after-methane-gas-ignites-523561341.html

 

Do I even have to mention the state for you to know where this happened?

I'm curious how a sealed septic tank could not be a saturated Methane environment, unable to support instantaneous combustion.  There isn't enough oxygen to support a human and many people have died working septic tanks for this reason.  If this is a very real possibility, why don't we have reports of septic tanks exploding in the news.

I would believe that since the tank contained water (albeit, in a "slurry"), that a lightning bolt would instantaneously cause a burst of steam, producing a steam explosion that propagated through the sewer pipe to the toilet.  Steam expansion is very impressive.  Ask any Boilerman what it could mean.

Steam explosion are very impressive and may appear to be an chemical explosion.  I watched an Oak tree across the intersection get blown apart by a lightning stroke, that instantaneously vaporize the sap in the tree.  It was an impressive explosion that turned the tree into kindling wood.

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17 minutes ago, janice6 said:

I'm curious how a sealed septic tank could not be a saturated Methane environment, unable to support instantaneous combustion.  There isn't enough oxygen to support a human and many people have died working septic tanks for this reason.  If this is a very real possibility, why don't we have reports of septic tanks exploding in the news.

I would believe that since the tank contained water (albeit, in a "slurry"), that a lightning bolt would instantaneously cause a burst of steam, producing a steam explosion that propagated through the sewer pipe to the toilet.  Steam expansion is very impressive.  Ask any Boilerman what it could mean.

Steam explosion are very impressive and may appear to be an chemical explosion.  I watched an Oak tree across the intersection get blown apart by a lightning stroke, that instantaneously vaporize the sap in the tree.  It was an impressive explosion that turned the tree into kindling wood.

Does that assume it was properly sealed at all points?  It's been a while since I looked up the details of methane production. 

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4 minutes ago, Silentpoet said:

Does that assume it was properly sealed at all points?  It's been a while since I looked up the details of methane production. 

From the design of the septic tanks I know of, it appears that they are vented to ensure no pressure build up, but not enough to release objectionable gases into the vicinity.

Think of it as an automobile gas tank.  This is a saturated atmosphere also and without adequate oxygen, it's hard to have an explosion.

That's why most car tank explosion occur during fueling or rupture of the tank.

 

Edited by janice6
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38 minutes ago, janice6 said:

I'm curious how a sealed septic tank could not be a saturated Methane environment, unable to support instantaneous combustion.  There isn't enough oxygen to support a human and many people have died working septic tanks for this reason.  If this is a very real possibility, why don't we have reports of septic tanks exploding in the news.

I would believe that since the tank contained water (albeit, in a "slurry"), that a lightning bolt would instantaneously cause a burst of steam, producing a steam explosion that propagated through the sewer pipe to the toilet.  Steam expansion is very impressive.  Ask any Boilerman what it could mean.

Steam explosion are very impressive and may appear to be an chemical explosion.  I watched an Oak tree across the intersection get blown apart by a lightning stroke, that instantaneously vaporize the sap in the tree.  It was an impressive explosion that turned the tree into kindling wood.

your way,way too smart for Florida.

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31 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

Yeah, there wouldn't be a fire, but would there be scorch marks if the explosion was caused by combustion?

We geeks tend to not use the term combustion, but oxidation because as 6 of janice explained so well, kersplosions, like fire, require oxygen.

A difference is the rate of oxidation.

Fires tend to oxidize slowly compared to kersplosions.

Consider also that just putting a bunch of methane and a dollop of oxygen together does not a kersplsion make.

Yes, they are both ready to rumble, but they need a catalyst, some outside element that tells them, Go!

Like lightning.

I will now go back to my nerd room and page through a CRC publication.

 

:biggrin:

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6 hours ago, janice6 said:

I would expect with a very rich concentration of gas in the tank that it would produce much soot at the tank, maybe not at the toilet.

 

7 hours ago, tous said:

We geeks tend to not use the term combustion, but oxidation because as 6 of janice explained so well, kersplosions, like fire, require oxygen.

A difference is the rate of oxidation.

Fires tend to oxidize slowly compared to kersplosions.

Consider also that just putting a bunch of methane and a dollop of oxygen together does not a kersplsion make.

Yes, they are both ready to rumble, but they need a catalyst, some outside element that tells them, Go!

Like lightning.

I will now go back to my nerd room and page through a CRC publication.

 

:biggrin:

If only there were some commonly accessible method by which we could burn methane and test these theories.

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