Oxyliquit
Encyclopedia
An oxyliquit, also called liquid air explosive or liquid oxygen explosive, is an explosive material
made of a mixture of liquid air
or liquid oxygen
(LOX) with a suitable fuel, usually carbon (as lampblack) or some organic chemical (eg. a mixture of soot
and naphthalene
), wood meal, or aluminium
powder or sponge; the material is capable of absorbing several times its weight of LOX. It is a class of Sprengel explosive
s.
, and in case of a misfire the oxygen evaporates quickly, rendering the charge quite safe in a short period of time. The first large scale deployment was in 1899 during the building of the Simplon Tunnel
, in the form of cartridges filled with diatomaceous earth
soaked with petroleum
, or an absorbent cork charcoal
, dipped in liquid oxygen immediately before use, or in another modification the cartridge is filled with liquid oxygen after placement in the borehole
.
As a disadvantage, oxyliquits, once mixed, are sensitive to sparks, shock and friction, and there were reported cases of spontaneous ignition. The power relative to weight is high, but the density is low, so the brisance
is low as well. Ignition by a fuse alone is sometimes unreliable. The charge should be detonated within 5 minutes of soaking, but even after 15 minutes it may be capable of exploding, even though weaker and with production of carbon monoxide
.
An oxyliquit explosive can be accidentally made by spilling liquid oxygen on tarmac
during filling high-altitude airplane systems. The pavement then can become sufficiently explosive to be initiated by walking on it; the oxygen evaporates soon, though.
At first, liquid air, self-enriched by standing (nitrogen
has a lower boiling point
and evaporates preferentially) was used, but pure liquid oxygen gives better results.
A mixture of lampblack and liquid oxygen was measured to have detonation velocity of 3,000 m/s, and 4 to 12% more strength than dynamite
. However, the flame it produces has too long duration to be safe in possible presence of explosive gases, so oxyliquits found their use mostly in open quarries
and strip mining.
in 1895 by Prof. Carl von Linde
, a developer of a successful machine for liquefaction of gases, who named them oxyliquits.
During World War I
, oxyliquits were in wide use in Germany due to shortages of availability of nitrate
s, and continued even after the war. In 1930, over 3 million pounds
of liquid oxygen were used for this purpose in Germany alone, and additional 201,466 lb (91,383 kg) were consumed by British quarries
. The accident rate was lower than with conventional explosives. However, the Dewar flask
s the LOX was stored in occasionally exploded, which was caused by iron impurities in the activated carbon serving as trace gas absorbent in the insulation vacuum layer in the flask, which caused spontaneous ignition in case of LOX leak into the enclosed space.
Use of oxyliquits during World War II
was low, as there was a plentiful supply of nitrates obtained from synthetic ammonia
.
Due to the complicated machinery required for manufacture of liquid oxygen, oxyliquit explosives were used mostly only where their consumption was high. In the United States
, some such locations were the strip mines in coal mining
areas of the Midwest. Its consumption peaked in 1953 with 10,190 tons, but then decreased until zero in 1968, when it was totally replaced with even cheaper ANFO
.
and an oxygen bottle to blast a hole in a collapsed cave in Stanisław Lem's 1951 novel Astronauts.
Explosive material
An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
made of a mixture of liquid air
Liquid air
Liquid air is air that has been cooled to very low temperatures so that it has condensed to a pale blue mobile liquid. To protect it from room temperature, it must be kept in a vacuum flask. Liquid air can absorb heat rapidly and revert to its gaseous state...
or liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
(LOX) with a suitable fuel, usually carbon (as lampblack) or some organic chemical (eg. a mixture of soot
Soot
Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
and naphthalene
Naphthalene
Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings...
), wood meal, or aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
powder or sponge; the material is capable of absorbing several times its weight of LOX. It is a class of Sprengel explosive
Sprengel explosive
Sprengel explosives are a generic class of materials invented by Hermann Sprengel in the 1870s. They consist of stoichiometric mixtures of strong oxidisers and reactive fuels, mixed just prior to use in order to enhance safety...
s.
Properties
Oxyliquits have numerous advantages. They are cheap to make, can be initiated by a safety fuseFuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
, and in case of a misfire the oxygen evaporates quickly, rendering the charge quite safe in a short period of time. The first large scale deployment was in 1899 during the building of the Simplon Tunnel
Simplon Tunnel
The Simplon Tunnel is an Alpine railway tunnel that connects the Swiss town of Brig with Domodossola in Italy, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under Simplon Pass itself. It actually consists of two single-track tunnels built nearly 20 years apart...
, in the form of cartridges filled with diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth also known as diatomite or kieselgur/kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 1 micrometre to more than 1 millimetre, but typically 10 to...
soaked with petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, or an absorbent cork charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, dipped in liquid oxygen immediately before use, or in another modification the cartridge is filled with liquid oxygen after placement in the borehole
Borehole
A borehole is the generalized term for any narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water or other liquid or gases , as part of a geotechnical investigation, environmental site...
.
As a disadvantage, oxyliquits, once mixed, are sensitive to sparks, shock and friction, and there were reported cases of spontaneous ignition. The power relative to weight is high, but the density is low, so the brisance
Brisance
Brisance is the shattering capability of an explosive. It is a measure of the rapidity with which an explosive develops its maximum pressure. The term originates from the French verb "briser", which means to break or shatter...
is low as well. Ignition by a fuse alone is sometimes unreliable. The charge should be detonated within 5 minutes of soaking, but even after 15 minutes it may be capable of exploding, even though weaker and with production of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
.
An oxyliquit explosive can be accidentally made by spilling liquid oxygen on tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
during filling high-altitude airplane systems. The pavement then can become sufficiently explosive to be initiated by walking on it; the oxygen evaporates soon, though.
At first, liquid air, self-enriched by standing (nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
has a lower boiling point
Boiling point
The boiling point of an element or a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid....
and evaporates preferentially) was used, but pure liquid oxygen gives better results.
A mixture of lampblack and liquid oxygen was measured to have detonation velocity of 3,000 m/s, and 4 to 12% more strength than dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
. However, the flame it produces has too long duration to be safe in possible presence of explosive gases, so oxyliquits found their use mostly in open quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and strip mining.
History
The explosive properties of these mixtures were discovered in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1895 by Prof. Carl von Linde
Carl von Linde
Professor Doctor Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde was a German engineer who developed refrigeration and gas separation technologies...
, a developer of a successful machine for liquefaction of gases, who named them oxyliquits.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, oxyliquits were in wide use in Germany due to shortages of availability of nitrate
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
s, and continued even after the war. In 1930, over 3 million pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
of liquid oxygen were used for this purpose in Germany alone, and additional 201,466 lb (91,383 kg) were consumed by British quarries
Quarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
. The accident rate was lower than with conventional explosives. However, the Dewar flask
Dewar flask
A Dewar flask is a vessel designed to provide very good thermal insulation. For instance, when filled with a hot liquid, the vessel will not allow the heat to easily escape, and the liquid will stay hot for far longer than in a typical container...
s the LOX was stored in occasionally exploded, which was caused by iron impurities in the activated carbon serving as trace gas absorbent in the insulation vacuum layer in the flask, which caused spontaneous ignition in case of LOX leak into the enclosed space.
Use of oxyliquits during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was low, as there was a plentiful supply of nitrates obtained from synthetic ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
.
Due to the complicated machinery required for manufacture of liquid oxygen, oxyliquit explosives were used mostly only where their consumption was high. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, some such locations were the strip mines in coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
areas of the Midwest. Its consumption peaked in 1953 with 10,190 tons, but then decreased until zero in 1968, when it was totally replaced with even cheaper ANFO
ANFO
ANFO is a widely used bulk industrial explosive mixture. It consists of 94 percent porous prilled ammonium nitrate , that acts as the oxidizing agent and absorbent for the fuel — six percent Number 2 Fuel Oil...
.
Fiction
Oxyliquit explosive was prepared ad hoc from sugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and an oxygen bottle to blast a hole in a collapsed cave in Stanisław Lem's 1951 novel Astronauts.
External links
- Google Groups, alt.engr.explosives old literature on Oxyliquit - alt.engr.explosives
- Liquid Oxygen Explosives Page seems to be broken. Archived version on the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
.