Beirut explosion...

DIGGER27

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Everything is still up in the air and nobody knows exactly what happened...yet, but some information is starting to become available.

In the Oklahoma City Federal building McViegh used About 4000 pounds of ammonium nitrate plus about 800 lbs of other chemicals to make his bomb and everyone saw the results of that.
Now the Lebanese Prime Minister is saying the warehouse that blew up in Beirut was stockpiled with about 2750 TONS of ammonium nitrate and it had been stored there for at least 6 years.
Nobody says terrorism so far, that stuff is used as fertilizer so it could have been just an accident but it this is true it was a major accident just waiting to happen.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/aug/04/beirut-explosion-huge-blast-port-lebanon-capital

Dozens dead, thousands injured and you know those numbers are going to rise
precipitously.

In 1947 two ships docked 600 feet from each other hauling a combined 2300 TONS of this stuff exploded in an event called the Texas city disaster.
The deadliest industrial accident ever in this country to this day.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_disaster

People just never learn.
 
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They're saying that the AN was confiscated years ago, and it was being stored under a fireworks factory....probably not a smart move.

The number of deaths is also being grossly under reported. They really won't have any accurate numbers until they've gone through all the rubble.
 
you could have all the oxidizers in the world(ammonium nitrate is one), without a fuel they will not blow up like that, and even then it usually has to be well mixed in proper proportions. So the question really is was the fuel mixed in by someone purposefully or did some odd event in the fire somehow add fuel to it. Beat me, but all I know is that was one very large boom.
 
On a sad note that will soon be a problem is the grain storage was there or near by... they will be hurting for food this winter.
 
you could have all the oxidizers in the world(ammonium nitrate is one), without a fuel they will not blow up like that, and even then it usually has to be well mixed in proper proportions. So the question really is was the fuel mixed in by someone purposefully or did some odd event in the fire somehow add fuel to it. Beat me, but all I know is that was one very large boom.

An ignition source could be heat also, not just a chemical fuel.
Supposedly there were fireworks stored in the vicinity, on several vids you could see a ton of small explosions at the base of the initial fire going off that looked exactly like fireworks...then the big one blew.

I read they suspect the first fire might have been started by a welder that wasn't paying attention.

They put several port officials under house arrest because a few were making plans to immediately leave the country.
Somebody is going to be jailed for a long time over this...maybe a lot more than just a few.
 
An ignition source could be heat also, not just a chemical fuel.
Supposedly there were fireworks stored in the vicinity, on several vids you could see a ton of small explosions at the base of the initial fire going off that looked exactly like fireworks...then the big one blew.

I read they suspect the first fire might have been started by a welder that wasn't paying attention.

They put several port officials under house arrest because a few were making plans to immediately leave the country.
Somebody is going to be jailed for a long time over this...maybe a lot more than just a few.

NO the fuel is not the ignition source you misunderstand. you need both the oxidizer and a fuel source to create the potential for combustion or explosion. now could the first explosion have mixed a bunch of stuff up or spead the ammonium nitrate around ? maybe. maybe the thick smoke acted as a fuel source? I dunno. What I do know is Israel recently threatened the !!!! outta Lebanon over the Hezbollah attacks.... so it could very well have been an attack by Israel, but also could be accident as well. All I know is my chemistry knowledge says this is fishy and that something VERY VERY unique would have to had occurred to produce such a uniform devastating explosion like that.
 
NO the fuel is not the ignition source you misunderstand. you need both the oxidizer and a fuel source to create the potential for combustion or explosion. now could the first explosion have mixed a bunch of stuff up or spead the ammonium nitrate around ? maybe. maybe the thick smoke acted as a fuel source? I dunno. What I do know is Israel recently threatened the !!!! outta Lebanon over the Hezbollah attacks.... so it could very well have been an attack by Israel, but also could be accident as well. All I know is my chemistry knowledge says this is fishy and that something VERY VERY unique would have to had occurred to produce such a uniform devastating explosion like that.

Heat and pressure can ignite this stuff.
There might have been other chemicals mixed in to prevent moisture caking as this stuff was being shipped over water in a cargo hold before it was unloaded and stored.
High temps increase ammonium nitrate chemical activity...AND it produces its own oxygen.
There was plenty of heat and yellow smoke coming from the first fire.
Look at the color of the smoke just before the big explosion...red orange.

There is a picture out there of the ammonium nitrate in the warehouse.
Big wrapped bales of this stuff stacked high in that warehouse on top of each other.

I doubt this was terrorism, more likely just stupidity and the perfect storm of bad luck events that triggered the massive chemical explosion.

This is how the Texas City explosion happened.
-----------------------------------

The ammonium nitrate, needed either as fertilizer or an explosive, was manufactured in Nebraska and Iowa and shipped to Texas City by rail before being loaded onto the Grandcamp.[4] It was manufactured in a patented process, mixed with clay, petrolatum, rosin and paraffin wax to avoid moisture caking. It was packaged in paper sacks, then transported and stored at higher temperatures that increased its chemical activity. Longshoremen reported the bags were warm to the touch before loading.

On April 16, 1947, around 8:00 a.m., smoke was spotted in the cargo hold of the Grandcamp while she was still moored. Over the next hour, attempts to extinguish the fire or bring it under control failed, as a red glow returned after each effort to douse the fire.

Shortly before 9:00 a.m., the captain ordered his men to steam the hold, a firefighting method where steam is piped in to extinguish fires, in order to preserve the cargo. This was unlikely to be effective, as ammonium nitrate produces its own oxygen, thus neutralizing the extinguishing properties of steam. The steam may have contributed to the fire by converting the ammonium nitrate to nitrous oxide, while augmenting the already intense heat in the ship's hold.[5]

The fire attracted spectators along the shoreline, who believed they were at a safe distance.[6] Eventually, the steam pressure inside the ship blew the hatches open, and yellow-orange smoke billowed out. This color is typical for nitrogen dioxide fumes.[1] The unusual color of the smoke attracted more spectators. Spectators also noted that the water around the docked ship was boiling from the heat, and the splashing water touching the hull was being vaporized into steam. The cargo hold and deck began to bulge as the pressure of the steam increased inside.


This 2-ton anchor was thrown more than 1.6 miles when the Grandcamp exploded
At 9:12 a.m., the ammonium nitrate reached an explosive threshold from the combination of heat and pressure.[7] The vessel detonated, causing great destruction and damage throughout the port. The tremendous blast produced a 15-foot (4.5 m) wave that was detectable nearly 100 miles (160 km) from the Texas shoreline. The blast leveled nearly 1,000 buildings on land. The Grandcamp explosion destroyed the Monsanto Chemical Company plant and resulted in ignition of refineries and chemical tanks on the waterfront. Falling bales of burning twine from the ship's cargo added to the damage, and the Grandcamp's anchor was hurled across the city. Two sightseeing airplanes flying nearby were blown out of the sky,[8] while 10 miles (16 km) away, half of the windows in Galveston were shattered.[9] The explosion blew almost 6,350 short tons (5,760 metric tons) of the ship's steel into the air, some at supersonic speed. Official casualty estimates came to a total of 567, including all the crewmen who remained aboard the Grandcamp. All but one member of the 28-man Texas City volunteer fire department were killed in the initial explosion on the docks while fighting the shipboard fire. With fires raging throughout Texas City, first responders from other areas were initially unable to reach the site of the disaster.

The first explosion ignited ammonium nitrate in the nearby cargo ship High Flyer. The crews spent hours attempting to cut the High Flyer free from her anchor and other obstacles, in order to move her, without success. After smoke had been pouring from the hold for over 5 hours, and about 15 hours after the explosions aboard the Grandcamp, the High Flyer exploded, demolishing the nearby SS Wilson B. Keene, killing at least two more people and increasing the damage to the port and other ships with more shrapnel and burning material. One of the propellers on the High Flyer was blown off and subsequently found nearly a mile inland. It is now part of a memorial park and is located near the anchor of the Grandcamp. The propeller is cracked in several places, and one blade has a large piece missing.

The cause of the initial fire on board the Grandcamp was never determined. It may have been started by a cigarette discarded the previous day, meaning the ship's cargo had been smouldering throughout the night when the fire was discovered on the morning of the day of the explosion.[1]


 
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Heat and pressure can ignite this stuff.
There might have been other chemicals mixed in to prevent moisture caking as this stuff was being shipped over water in a cargo gold before it was unloaded and stored.
High temps increase ammonium nitrate chemical activity...AND it produces its own oxygen.
There was plenty of heat and yellow smoke coming from the first fire.
Look at the color of the smoke just before the big explosion...red orange.

There is a picture out there of the ammonium nitrate in the warehouse.
Big wrapped bales of this stuff stacked high in that warehouse on top of each other.

I doubt this was terrorism, more likely just stupidity and the perfect storm of bad luck events that triggered the massive chemical explosion.

This is how the Texas City explosion happened.
-----------------------------------

The ammonium nitrate, needed either as fertilizer or an explosive, was manufactured in Nebraska and Iowa and shipped to Texas City by rail before being loaded onto the Grandcamp.[4] It was manufactured in a patented process, mixed with clay, petrolatum, rosin and paraffin wax to avoid moisture caking. It was packaged in paper sacks, then transported and stored at higher temperatures that increased its chemical activity. Longshoremen reported the bags were warm to the touch before loading.

On April 16, 1947, around 8:00 a.m., smoke was spotted in the cargo hold of the Grandcamp while she was still moored. Over the next hour, attempts to extinguish the fire or bring it under control failed, as a red glow returned after each effort to douse the fire.

Shortly before 9:00 a.m., the captain ordered his men to steam the hold, a firefighting method where steam is piped in to extinguish fires, in order to preserve the cargo. This was unlikely to be effective, as ammonium nitrate produces its own oxygen, thus neutralizing the extinguishing properties of steam. The steam may have contributed to the fire by converting the ammonium nitrate to nitrous oxide, while augmenting the already intense heat in the ship's hold.[5]

The fire attracted spectators along the shoreline, who believed they were at a safe distance.[6] Eventually, the steam pressure inside the ship blew the hatches open, and yellow-orange smoke billowed out. This color is typical for nitrogen dioxide fumes.[1] The unusual color of the smoke attracted more spectators. Spectators also noted that the water around the docked ship was boiling from the heat, and the splashing water touching the hull was being vaporized into steam. The cargo hold and deck began to bulge as the pressure of the steam increased inside.


This 2-ton anchor was thrown more than 1.6 miles when the Grandcamp exploded
At 9:12 a.m., the ammonium nitrate reached an explosive threshold from the combination of heat and pressure.[7] The vessel detonated, causing great destruction and damage throughout the port. The tremendous blast produced a 15-foot (4.5 m) wave that was detectable nearly 100 miles (160 km) from the Texas shoreline. The blast leveled nearly 1,000 buildings on land. The Grandcamp explosion destroyed the Monsanto Chemical Company plant and resulted in ignition of refineries and chemical tanks on the waterfront. Falling bales of burning twine from the ship's cargo added to the damage, and the Grandcamp's anchor was hurled across the city. Two sightseeing airplanes flying nearby were blown out of the sky,[8] while 10 miles (16 km) away, half of the windows in Galveston were shattered.[9] The explosion blew almost 6,350 short tons (5,760 metric tons) of the ship's steel into the air, some at supersonic speed. Official casualty estimates came to a total of 567, including all the crewmen who remained aboard the Grandcamp. All but one member of the 28-man Texas City volunteer fire department were killed in the initial explosion on the docks while fighting the shipboard fire. With fires raging throughout Texas City, first responders from other areas were initially unable to reach the site of the disaster.

The first explosion ignited ammonium nitrate in the nearby cargo ship High Flyer. The crews spent hours attempting to cut the High Flyer free from her anchor and other obstacles, in order to move her, without success. After smoke had been pouring from the hold for over 5 hours, and about 15 hours after the explosions aboard the Grandcamp, the High Flyer exploded, demolishing the nearby SS Wilson B. Keene, killing at least two more people and increasing the damage to the port and other ships with more shrapnel and burning material. One of the propellers on the High Flyer was blown off and subsequently found nearly a mile inland. It is now part of a memorial park and is located near the anchor of the Grandcamp. The propeller is cracked in several places, and one blade has a large piece missing.

The cause of the initial fire on board the Grandcamp was never determined. It may have been started by a cigarette discarded the previous day, meaning the ship's cargo had been smouldering throughout the night when the fire was discovered on the morning of the day of the explosion.[1]



ahh I see so wax and rosin for sure act as fuels. so if you get it hot enough and add stuff like thick smoke and other problems it rapidly deteriorates until it hit a point of no return. so looks like just a bad set of circumstances then. Thanks for the info, looks like I got some more learning to do
 
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