Texas Oil Refinery Explosion Lawyers

The Science of Chemical Explosions

In the modern workplace – and the modern world – we are surrounded by chemicals. These chemicals may be natural or man-made, invisible or colorful, toxic or harmless. Through technology, they may provide us with energy, air conditioning, or sanitation, or they may simply be in the air we breathe or the water we drink. However, with modern technologies come modern risks – such as the potential for sudden, devastating chemical explosions.

Many environments are obviously at greater risk for chemical explosions. Oil refineries , chemical plants, and industrial complexes are all places we associate with the hazards of chemicals. But how do chemical explosions occur? What makes one substance explosive and another substance harmless? What determines the destructive power of an explosion? There are three criteria which define an explosive compound: formation of gases, evolution of heat, and rapidity of reaction.

Formation of Gases

For an explosion to occur, a chemical reaction must be capable of producing large amounts of gas in a very short amount of time. Often, these reactions involve combining the oxygen in the atmosphere with substances in a fuel source. The key, of course, is for this gas production to happen very quickly. For example, burning a pile of coal creates carbon dioxide and steam by combining oxygen with carbon and hydrogen in the coal. However, this reaction is not explosive because it generates gas slowly, over a longer period of time. One way for the reaction to become explosive is by using coal dust instead of coal chunks. By grinding the coal into dust, its surface area increases, allowing more air to come in contact with it at one time, and causing a sudden, explosive effect.

Evolution of Heat

One of the key components of an explosion is heat. When the gases produced by a chemical reaction are heated, they gain energy and expand – the resulting wave of high pressures is what creates the outward force of an explosion. As with gas formation, the evolution of heat in an explosion must occur very quickly. Returning to the coal example, although burning coal can generate a high total amount of heat, the rate at which it does so prevents an explosive effect, unlike, for example, nitroglycerin, which generates all its heat energy at once and therefore explodes violently.

Rapidity of Reaction

This basically refers to the speed of gas formation and heat generation. As mentioned in the previous points, both steps must occur very rapidly in order to form an explosion. Otherwise, all the produced energy will simply dissipate into the atmosphere over time.

Chemical explosions happen quickly, without warning, and have enormous damage potential. If you have been hurt by an explosion, don’t hesitate to call 866-950-9000 to speak with a Texas explosion lawyer at the Williams Kherkher law firm.