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Acetylene-filled balloons explode - GIF
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good thing there wasn't any air in there with it, or nobody would have been left standing.
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First day of welding class in HS, our teacher taught us the difference between acetylene, oxygen, and combined, by filing a balloon with each, then touching each balloon with a red-hot welding rod
Oxygen went 'pop', acetylene was a nice quiet 'floop!' of yellow flame and floating soot. oxyacetylene...well our ears were still ringing fifteen minutes later...
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Acetylene is only slightly lighter than air; slightly enough that the balloons would barely float, if at all. I figure the balloons were filled with hydrogen which is even lighter than the traditional helium fill.
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Hydrogen burns almost ultraviolet. Someone my wife knew (NOT ME) used to fill balloons with hydrogen and a bit of air, then fly them at night over a local large populated area with a time fuse. They would explode with barely any glow and created a mystery for years.
Possible "natural gas" as currently delivered by utilities. Depending on the mix you get, may be lighter than air.
I used to know someone (STILL NOT ME) who lived in the SW USA and would fill a roll of dry cleaning bag plastic (one long tube on a big spool) with natural gas that was lighter. Send it aloft at night with a time fuse (I'm detecting a pattern), with no air mixed in it would burn in a long flame. Many UFO reports. A local UFO group once asked him if he believed in UFOs, he said "sure! I'm responsible for most of your sightings".
He'd also do stuff like dump propane down into abandoned mine shafts and then from a safe (???) distance toss a flare in. Said the blast was "impressive".
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Yes I recon Nat gas was the culprit. Acetylene would be dangerous to handle filling that many balloons
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natural gas and static electricity from the groups of balloons coming in contact with another group of balloons
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Acetylene is heavier than air, its probably methane / natural gas.
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It makes me wonder what they were thinking when they decided to make a lot of explosive balloons.
It looks like the explosion was started by the one person with green balloons touching them against the lights. Luckily it does not look like anybody was injured even though none of the balloons survived.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Liquidhandwash
Acetylene is heavier than air, its probably methane / natural gas.
Nope - acetylene is 10% lighter ( than air) at 1,095 kg/m3 @ 16 C and 1 Bar.
Density of air at 20 C and 1 Bar, is between 1,1934 @ 0% RH and 1,2039 @ 100% RH
For most practical uses: ρ = 1,25 kg/m³
Ignition was probably caused from static electricity potential differences between the balloons and/ or their respective holders.
2 cents & Cheers
Johan
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Unsurprising with the global shortage of Helium, we're currently limited to ONE cylinder of Helium per month by our supplier, so people are finding other things to fill balloons. Still one advantage of restricting Helium for balloon filling, fewer suicides with it. https://www.researchgate.net/publica...ium_Inhalation
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About 35 years ago I used to fill balloons with oxy/acty. Would put ballon in paper bag , light torch with neutral flame then touch nozzel to something causing flame out. Then hold baloon neck on nozzle till baloon was about a foot in diameter snug in bag and tie off the neck. Have it in open space and light bag on fire and run like hell. Most of the time I could make it about 75 feet before the explosion. Lady 1/4 mile away was on the throne and thought her house exploded, pulled her pants up and ran outside. Neighbor a mile away called and asked if everything was okay down tje road as she heard a very loud explosion. I was feeling pretty proud of mymyself and was telling a few people later. The subject of static electricity was brought up snd pointed out to me that I was lucky to still be able to get around. Needless to say, I don't blow up baloons anymore. However a spudgun built from a co2 fire extinguisher with a 2"barrel 4' long will shoot a semi frozen potato over 900 feet with the same mixture.
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I think if you look at the .08 time on the clip you see the person with green balloons walk them into the lights and the explosion propagated from where they contacted the hot lights.
I worked once where a company was setting up oil storage tanks for an oil refinery. In the bottom of the tanks was about 2 feet of water from rain and snow. Some of the welders decided to inflate balloons with welding gases. Some were acetylene, some were oxygen. The acetylene balloons would explode if hit with a spark and release a big ball of flame.
The balloons with just oxygen would randomly detonate on their own with a loud flash and bang. It seems the oxygen would saturate the rubber and as the rubber weakened it would burst. When the balloon burst it released enough energy through the rest of the oxygen saturated rubber skin for the rubber to detonate like a high explosive. The oxygen filled balloons were more dangerous than the fuel filled balloons and it took months for them all to explode because nobody wanted to be trying to collect and dispose of them.
Imagine working inside of a 200 foot diameter round steel tank where every now and then, randomly, something would explode with as much noise as a stick of dynamite would have.
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Second on the lights as the ignition.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
DIYSwede
Nope - acetylene is 10% lighter ( than air) at 1,095 kg/m3 @ 16 C and 1 Bar.
Density of air at 20 C and 1 Bar, is between 1,1934 @ 0% RH and 1,2039 @ 100% RH
For most practical uses: ρ = 1,25 kg/m³
Ignition was probably caused from static electricity potential differences between the balloons and/ or their respective holders.
2 cents & Cheers
Johan
I don't know about the numbers But when i was a kid I filled a ballon with acetylene and it fell to the floor fastest then an air-filled ballon. My friend stupidly put a match to it and burned off his eyebrowes
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I saw someone decide to get a fast light on a BBQ, blew O2 onto the briquettes and apparently saturated them. When lit they went off like black powder.
Things to NOT do with flammable metals and gases, I prefer to keep all my appendages and do stuff like professional fireworks.
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Gas welders know that you never ever grease the threads on the O2 regulators because the oxygen can saturate the grease and it becomes a sensitive high explosive. They also know that acetylene can detonate when the pressure is more than 39 psi on it which is why it is dissolved in acetone to bottle it instead of just pressurizing it.
Welding gases are dangerous.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
cmarlow
Gas welders know that you never ever grease the threads on the O2 regulators because the oxygen can saturate the grease and it becomes a sensitive high explosive. They also know that acetylene can detonate when the pressure is more than 39 psi on it which is why it is dissolved in acetone to bottle it instead of just pressurizing it.
Welding gases are dangerous.
You also cant cut deeper under water with acetylene than 15 ft learning to use hydrogen to cut underwater can be a new experience in itself.
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Makes my craziest "stupid grill trick" seem really tame in comparison:I once got the idea that grilling bacon would be a good idea. It was, for about a minute, then the fat rendered, fell onto the coals and erupted into a gout of intense flame. Was an amazing thing watching the bacon just vaporize in the flames (which were shooting about 4 ft high 8-P
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Ignition source was the lighting at the front edge of the stage. Look at about :07, you can see the green balloons come close then touch just before :09
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Liquidhandwash
I don't know about the numbers But when i was a kid I filled a ballon with acetylene and it fell to the floor fastest then an air-filled ballon. My friend stupidly put a match to it and burned off his eyebrowes
It is possible this apparent discrepancy of density of acetylene may be caused by the balloon itself. The pressure inside a balloon is a bit higher than 1 Bar due to the elasticity of the balloon itself and how much it is inflated.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
jdurand
I saw someone decide to get a fast light on a BBQ, blew O2 onto the briquettes and apparently saturated them. When lit they went off like black powder.
Things to NOT do with flammable metals and gases, I prefer to keep all my appendages and do stuff like professional fireworks.
You forgot to include "(STILL NOT ME) " in this one!!! :hattip:
