- #1
boab
- 15
- 3
When hydrogen and oxygen burn they form steam, or H2O. I was thinking of quick and easy way to make steam would be by burning H2 gas and "air" in a simple rocket engine type burner at the pressure I needed the steam. Disregarding that the resulting flame is about at the top of the list for heat liberated from combustion, this wouldn't be a disadvantage. So let's ignore the burner/boiler meltdown aspect.
Chemistry is not my strong point, so as I started looking into the idea I was immediately confronted with the fact that even at very low pressures, (say 3 atmospheres) H2 and O2 gases can be extremely explosive. Not just burning, but can suddenly detonate at "extremely high velocities". Often at 6000 fps + range. This aspect wouldn't be good on the burner/boiler.
However it suddenly occurred to me that the Space Shuttle main engines run on liquid H2 and O2, a much more concentrated form, and do not detonate even when injected into the engines at several hundred PSI, and are burned.
My question is simple, why? Obviously I'm overlooking something, probably basic, and would appreciate anyone's help in understanding what that is.
boab
Chemistry is not my strong point, so as I started looking into the idea I was immediately confronted with the fact that even at very low pressures, (say 3 atmospheres) H2 and O2 gases can be extremely explosive. Not just burning, but can suddenly detonate at "extremely high velocities". Often at 6000 fps + range. This aspect wouldn't be good on the burner/boiler.
However it suddenly occurred to me that the Space Shuttle main engines run on liquid H2 and O2, a much more concentrated form, and do not detonate even when injected into the engines at several hundred PSI, and are burned.
My question is simple, why? Obviously I'm overlooking something, probably basic, and would appreciate anyone's help in understanding what that is.
boab