Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Inversed thermobaric weapon? Oxidizer-terrain explosive

angeltxilon - 24-10-2015 at 04:45

Consider a thermobaric weapon.
Thermobaric weapons are weapons that have fuel majority (unlike conventional explosives, possessing oxidant and fuel), and base their power in her combustion with air.

But, could it be possible inverted thermobaric weapon?, ie, a weapon that has mostly oxidant instead fuel ?, normally a thing like this does not react with air, but there are oxidants that are capable to reacting with air, for example chlorine trifluoride.

Then consider a thermobaric chlorine trifluoride compressed bomb, how destructive this would ?, how viable this would?

Bert - 24-10-2015 at 05:03

As a "thermobaric bomb"? No. As an incendiary, yes.

I think it could make an air crew pretty darn nervous to deploy a large container of it.

http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/san...
Quote:

Let’s put it this way: during World War II, the Germans were very interested in using it in self-igniting flamethrowers, but found it too nasty to work with. It is apparently about the most vigorous fluorinating agent known, and is much more difficult to handle than fluorine gas. That’s one of those statements you don’t get to hear very often


[Edited on 24-10-2015 by Bert]

careysub - 24-10-2015 at 11:09

Liquid oxygen could be considered an "oxidizer-terrain explosive". Pour it on asphalt and you have a pressure sensitive explosive.

Any other fuel substrate (wood, paper, cellulose debris, peat soil?) would be similar.

DalisAndy - 24-10-2015 at 15:14

I would say HYPOTHETICALLY, Nitrogen tribromide or triiodine could be used with an oxidizer to make something like that.... I would think to use Mn2O7 (Manganese Heptoxide) as the oxidizer, since it would work the best as an oxidizer.