Explosion in Yarmouth (2013, condo, homes)

[Newdaawn]

Has it been verified that the explosion that destroyed that condo in Yarmouth was due to propane? Must be very scary for the other residents in the complex. Very sad that the man died.

[Submariner]

Propane is explosive.

I recall reading once about the history of LPG tanks in US port cities. A century ago it was felt that having a 3 story tank of so much fuel would be an explosion hazard capable of leveling a city. Protests and rioting followed, which was eventually settled, and today it is a common sight in US port cities. Ships come and go, topping off those huge tanks, and no city has been leveled yet.

One of the things that I enjoyed about living overseas, was how languages and culture changes / adapts to new technology.

When the USA market was fading on 8" floppy disks, we were shifting toward the 5" floppy and reaching to make it double-sided. At the same time Europe had locked onto cassette tapes. While in the USA they were only used for music, in Europe all PC software was put onto cassette. A cassette could hold far more than a 5" floppy. But a C-90 tape took 90 minutes to 'play' it's recorded data.

Anyway back to the OP. In Italy a 20-pound propane tank has always been seen as nothing but a ready-made bomb. So much so that regardless of other names that have been tried for marketing, 'bombola' has been the only name to stick. Being a culture that encourages hot-blooded impulsiveness, they embrace their instantaneous labor walk-outs and protest marches. Today decades later, most homes use bombolas; for fueling tankless water-heaters and portable room heaters. And bombolas are still used frequently in civil uprisings to blow-out the windows of a factory warehouse, or mess up an office.

[221B]

Originally Posted by Submariner

…Being a culture that encourages hot-blooded impulsiveness…

Impulsività sangue caldo? Che cosa è in su con quello? Si prega di trasmettere l'antipasto, il mio amico!

[namder1]

C'mon now Curly Bill. We don't want trouble in here, no matter what language!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by 221B

Impulsività sangue caldo? Che cosa è in su con quello? Si prega di trasmettere l'antipasto, il mio amico!

Belle parole non pascono i gatti.

[Newdaawn]

Say What?

[Radio Flyer]

Newdaawn...If you do a Google search, you can find translation sites. I don't know how accurate they are, but they're kind of fun. I used one when I posted on another board with some Canadians.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

A propane bomb makes a huge explosion because the most efficient combustion ratio is 17 to 1. If you had a 100 pound bomb, the added 1700 pounds of air would make 1,800 pounds of explosive mixture. Such bombs were used to clear landing zones in Vietnam. They would blow away everything down to mineral earth. I wish I had some photos, but I was usually too busy to take photos.

http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative...a-2638398.html

[Coaster]

NMLM, I think you're referring to fuel-air bombs, not propane-air mixtures, used to clear LZs in Nam. A propane explosion requires an enclosed area to hold the propane-air mixture. In open air, the propane diffuses too rapidly to explode. the modern versions use a slurry of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum, according to your link.

Regarding LNG or LPG tanks and explosions: During the so-called "Tanker War" between Iran and Iraq back in the early 1980s, a number of LPG and LNG tankers were hit with rockets and artillery shells. None of the ships exploded.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by Coaster

NMLM, I think you're referring to fuel-air bombs, not propane-air mixtures, used to clear LZs in Nam. A propane explosion requires an enclosed area to hold the propane-air mixture. In open air, the propane diffuses too rapidly to explode. the modern versions use a slurry of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum, according to your link.

Regarding LNG or LPG tanks and explosions: During the so-called "Tanker War" between Iran and Iraq back in the early 1980s, a number of LPG and LNG tankers were hit with rockets and artillery shells. None of the ships exploded.

The bombs used in Nam weren't exactly fuel air bombs either. They had a type of styrene and aluminum wder and a lot of other stuff. Very nasty things. They commonly refer to them as daisy cutters, but that is because of the fusing mechanism on the nose. They were/are dropped from C-130's.