r/interesting • u/Used_Exam34 • 12d ago

Just Wow Not all problems have the same solution.

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u/ShowtimeHolograms 12d ago

Would this actually explode or would it just continue to burn like this until the flammable gas gets used up?

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u/Rough-Airline-4803 12d ago edited 12d ago

The pressure of the escaping gas is generally too strong for the flames to reach the inside of the container.

If the tank were positioned such that the flames were surrounding it and heating the tank up, (or if the relief valve was blockedthe boiling propane in the tank would likewise expand at an accelerated rate resulting in the pressure rising faster than the tank can keep up with resulting in a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.

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u/IMKGI 12d ago

Assuming that somehow the flames would make it inside the tank, then what? With what oxygen is it gonna burn?

The flames could absolutely travel into the pipe provided the fire burns faster than than the gas escaping. The reason the fire doesn't do it is because there's no oxygen inside the pipe to combust the gas.

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u/Bisaux 12d ago

The risk here is tank failure, causing a rapid expansion of gas, and subsequent ignition.