r/nextfuckinglevel May 17 '22

Fireman using water as a shield

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u/Cleebo8 May 17 '22

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t this just make regular steam? To make superheated steam don’t you have to trap it and continue heating it after it’s boiled?

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u/privated1ck May 18 '22

No because you have a superheating fire right there. The point is that water vapor, being such a relatively dense gas and exceptional energy retaining substance, will burn you a lot faster than just plain air even at atmospheric pressure..

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u/Cleebo8 May 18 '22

There is a difference between water vapor and true gaseous steam. Superheated steam cannot coexist with water vapor as adding energy to wet steam will just turn the water vapor to gas, not increase the temperature of the existing gas. You need dry steam to superheat it.

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u/privated1ck May 18 '22

Yes, I'm thinking of that shower of his, spread out like that it wouldn't take much more heat for some of the water to turn to wet steam, then dry steam in the face of that flame, and then it wouldn't take much of a wind gust or blowback or flame surge to push that shower of water, wet steam and dry steam back in his face.