A 14,000 degree fire!

[galen]

I have read a couple of articles regarding the salvaged Russian submarine Kursk which sank after an explosion and fire on board. The articles stated that temperatures had reached 14,000 degrees (The articles didn’t specify Celsius or Fahrenheit). Either doesn’t seem possible. Is it?

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Kan jeg selv minimere risici for demens og Alzheimers?

So far, investigators said Saturday it is evident that a white-hot fire swept through the Kursk nuclear submarine after two onboard explosions, leaving many of the sailors aboard to die of carbon monoxide.

<snip>

“In the epicenter of the fire, the temperature reached 8,000 degrees Celsius (14,432 degrees Fahrenheit),” Ustinov said Saturday. Seven out of the 32 retrieved bodies have already been identified and prepared to be returned to their families.

Looks like it.

[AndyJ]

That was shown on the BBC about the Kirsk sinking. It offers a different opinion that is very intresting.

This links to the transcript of the program.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/kursk_transcript.shtml

[drachillix]

*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose *

“In the epicenter of the fire, the temperature reached 8,000 degrees Celsius (14,432 degrees Fahrenheit),” Ustinov said Saturday.**

IIRC fires that hot will actually disassociate water molecules, feeding it more fuel and oxygen.

If you ever get a chance to see a good rippin vehicle fire you can see examples of this when magnesium rims or aluminum engine blocks get going.

[Reeder]

When I was in the Army, many many years ago, they demostrated what burning magnesium could do. They laid a piece on an automobile engine block, ignited it…It burned it’s way through the block.

Taught me never to burn magnesium.

[Whack-a-Mole]

*Originally posted by Reeder *
**When I was in the Army, many many years ago, they demostrated what burning magnesium could do. They laid a piece on an automobile engine block, ignited it…It burned it’s way through the block.

Taught me never to burn magnesium. **

In my high school Chem class another student lit a short length of magnesium ribbon on fire and dropped it immediately in surprise. The teacher yelled at us to not look at the fire (presumably it is bright enough to burn your retinas). Before the teacher could put the fire out the ribbon finshed burning itself.

You know those student-proof black tables they use in high school science classes? The tables that are supposed to be proof against anything a high school student can think up? It wasn’t proof against that magnesium. A nice, 6 inch long smouldering gouge was left in the table.

Pretty cool actually but I wouldn’t knowingly do that again myself. VERY VERY HOT!

Still, 14,000[sup]0[/sup] seems crazy. I believe the report and I’m no expert to gainsay them but IIRC even magnesium ‘only’ burns around 2,000[sup]0[/sup] or so. What the heck goes off at 14,000[sup]0[/sup] (non-nuclear)? Is there any earthly substance that can withstand temperatures like that? My guess is no and if not wouldn’t a fire (seems such a mundane word for those temperatures) burn right through the decks and hull of the ship?

[kanicbird]

IIRC fires that hot will actually disassociate water molecules, feeding it more fuel and oxygen

Not that much if at all remember it takes energy to break H2O into H2 1/2O2 That energy is re-released when the h2 ‘re-burns’. The energy released is exactly the same as the aomunt consumed. The only way to get more energy (non-nuclear reaction) would be break apart the water molecule to combine with somethign else with a higher release of energy (lithium, magneesium)