6 ms·

Diesel is pretty fire safe already

londons_explore 3y ago
Yes. Diesel fires are pretty rare. If a diesel truck crashes on the highway, the biggest risk is to the environment (it's pretty toxic), and to the road (diesel dissolves asphalt).
- timw4mail 3y ago
  Never thought about the asphalt part, but makes some sense. From what I understand, bitumen is basically the part of oil distillation left over after you distill away all the aromatic(liquid) stuff.
  - londons_explore 3y ago
    It's actually pretty bad, because spilt diesel makes the asphalt much softer over the coming weeks until it's pretty much a pothole filled with gravel. It's easy to miss a small spill, and only weeks later does a hole appear in the road.
    - hanniabu 3y ago
      So if you hate someone you can spoil a little diesel in the road right in front of their driveway so they have potholes every time they come and go
      - Tade0 3y ago
        Only if you hate yourself even more, because that stuff makes its way to groundwater.
      - Cthulhu_ 3y ago
        I'm going to file this one for future reference, :p. I wonder if this is why a lot of residential roads where I live are bricks instead of asphalt. Smells much less worse in summer too. Anyway, if you really hate someone, put brake fluid on their car, it'll melt the paintwork pretty thoroughly.
    - lawlessone 3y ago
      this explains so much.
cwmma 3y ago
it's literally used as armor in some military vehicles
- ComputerGuru 3y ago
  That sounds really interesting - can you give an example of what you are talking about? I can’t find anything by googling.
  - kayodelycaon 3y ago
    WW2 warships used fuel tanks as part of their torpedo defense systems. They would have fuel tanks outside the armor to absorb most of the damage.
  - Kubuxu 3y ago
    In most tanks fuel is used as higher density voidspace to decelerate projectiles and shrapnel.
yread 3y ago
Kerosene is also very safe. Pprune is full of stories of technicians throwing burning cigarettes in kerosene to extinguish them (and to scare novice pilots)

Yes. Diesel fires are pretty rare. If a diesel truck crashes on the highway, the biggest risk is to the environment (it's pretty toxic), and to the road (diesel dissolves asphalt).

timw4mail 3y ago
Never thought about the asphalt part, but makes some sense. From what I understand, bitumen is basically the part of oil distillation left over after you distill away all the aromatic(liquid) stuff.
- londons_explore 3y ago
  It's actually pretty bad, because spilt diesel makes the asphalt much softer over the coming weeks until it's pretty much a pothole filled with gravel. It's easy to miss a small spill, and only weeks later does a hole appear in the road.
  - hanniabu 3y ago
    So if you hate someone you can spoil a little diesel in the road right in front of their driveway so they have potholes every time they come and go
    - Tade0 3y ago
      Only if you hate yourself even more, because that stuff makes its way to groundwater.
    - Cthulhu_ 3y ago
      I'm going to file this one for future reference, :p. I wonder if this is why a lot of residential roads where I live are bricks instead of asphalt. Smells much less worse in summer too. Anyway, if you really hate someone, put brake fluid on their car, it'll melt the paintwork pretty thoroughly.
  - lawlessone 3y ago
    this explains so much.

cwmma 3y ago

it's literally used as armor in some military vehicles

ComputerGuru 3y ago
That sounds really interesting - can you give an example of what you are talking about? I can’t find anything by googling.
- kayodelycaon 3y ago
  WW2 warships used fuel tanks as part of their torpedo defense systems. They would have fuel tanks outside the armor to absorb most of the damage.
- Kubuxu 3y ago
  In most tanks fuel is used as higher density voidspace to decelerate projectiles and shrapnel.

yread 3y ago

Kerosene is also very safe. Pprune is full of stories of technicians throwing burning cigarettes in kerosene to extinguish them (and to scare novice pilots)