RE: Hydrogen Peroxide Turbine Engine
Posted by:
Don Baker
()
Date: June 02, 2000 05:48PM
Hello Kevin
Your information regarding the hazards involved in handling H2O2 while refueling the Komet closely parallels the information I had seen in a navy report. As I recall, some of the stuff inadverdently got into a drain at a base where they were experimenting, causing an explosion which tore up a couple of streets under which the drain ran. It is extremely difficult to maintain laboratory standards of cleanliness in an operating military environment.
During WWII a group of us were sent to "firefighting" school before going aboard ship. The Navy had a full scale mockup of a section of a ships hull duplicating the engine room. This mockup would be flooded with fuel oil and ignited. We were expected to descend into this inferno and put out the fire.
Part of our equipment was an oxygen re-breather worn around the neck. It was somewhat like a gas mask and had affixed to it a cannister containing an oxidixer - it wasn't hydrogen peroxide- but some kind of perchlorate. The Chief Petty officer in charge was explaining the use of the re-breather. Absolute cleanliness and freedom from any contaminating oil was required. To demonstrate he smeared his oily finger on the seal and then proceeded to screw the cannister on to a mask. He did this very rapidly and then set the thing on the ground and had us back away from it. After perhaps 10-15 seconds the whole thing exploded and sent up a small ball of flame like a miniature atom bomb. We then got to mount the cannisters to our masks, put the mask on and go fight the fire.You can be sure those seals were clean when we screwed on the cannisters. I came away from that experience with a high respect for oxidizers.
Don B
Your information regarding the hazards involved in handling H2O2 while refueling the Komet closely parallels the information I had seen in a navy report. As I recall, some of the stuff inadverdently got into a drain at a base where they were experimenting, causing an explosion which tore up a couple of streets under which the drain ran. It is extremely difficult to maintain laboratory standards of cleanliness in an operating military environment.
During WWII a group of us were sent to "firefighting" school before going aboard ship. The Navy had a full scale mockup of a section of a ships hull duplicating the engine room. This mockup would be flooded with fuel oil and ignited. We were expected to descend into this inferno and put out the fire.
Part of our equipment was an oxygen re-breather worn around the neck. It was somewhat like a gas mask and had affixed to it a cannister containing an oxidixer - it wasn't hydrogen peroxide- but some kind of perchlorate. The Chief Petty officer in charge was explaining the use of the re-breather. Absolute cleanliness and freedom from any contaminating oil was required. To demonstrate he smeared his oily finger on the seal and then proceeded to screw the cannister on to a mask. He did this very rapidly and then set the thing on the ground and had us back away from it. After perhaps 10-15 seconds the whole thing exploded and sent up a small ball of flame like a miniature atom bomb. We then got to mount the cannisters to our masks, put the mask on and go fight the fire.You can be sure those seals were clean when we screwed on the cannisters. I came away from that experience with a high respect for oxidizers.
Don B
