Australian Politics Forum - Bruce Highway closed

chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11652 armidale Gender:	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #30 - Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 8:06pm On 2 May 1858 the town of Kyneton, Victoria was lit by a gas made from eucalyptus leaves. The oil was converted into a gas that lit the town's shops, hotels and residences. Mrs Brynny Bruce of the Highway liked her smelling salts of ammonia and didn't realise she almost exploded Kyneton with a kiloton.
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John_Taverner

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #31 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 6:59am

Gnads wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 6:44pm:

They don't use ammonium nitrate emulsions on mine sites. They use they solid pelletized form aka urea.

Believe me, they do. I worked in the industry for 7 years. Urea (carbamide) is not ammonium nitrate. Urea is CO(NH2)2. It looks a bit like Ammonium nitrate prill, but is totally different.

Emulsion is used for wet blast holes (for example after rain). AN prill is most commonly used under normal conditions, mixed with oil (ANFO). Around 95% of ammonium nitrate production is used for blasting. If you want to use it as a fertiliser, you need a licence to buy it for concentrations above 40%.

Here is a link to one of the two suppliers, with a description of AN Emulsion:

https://www.orica.com/products-services/resources/blasting-principles

Quote:

Ammonium Nitrate Emulsion (also called EP or Emulsion Phase) is ammonium nitrate dissolved in water and suspended in oil. It is an oxidising agent used to manufacture a range of bulk blasting agents. The oil surface gives emulsion based products improved water resistance.

It doesn't matter which company is the original supplier. The EIPs on the trucks reflect the transporter details only.

This is what the tanker looks like. (The transporter in this particular case wasn't necessarily Toll.)

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« Last Edit: Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 7:42am by John_Taverner »

IMG_0061.jpg (26 KB | 7 )

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John_Taverner

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #32 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 7:20am

chimera wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 2:44pm:

John_Taverner wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 9:20am:

The decision was made many years ago to classify it as an oxidiser, as opposed to an explosive. After all, it was only going to be transported a short distance to the minesites.

Thank goodness for that. The Highway and humans would just be oxidised, for a short distance. A crater of oxidise. Bruce oxide. (Not a greenhouse gas)

Yes. Oxidised at a velocity exceeding the speed of sound in fact. Grin

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John_Taverner

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #33 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 7:25am

chimera wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 3:26pm:

Gladstone soil is Aluminum Oxide, Iron Oxide, Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium oxide and Calcium oxide. Nothing changes when it's oxidised.
Road tar contains between 50% to 90% carbon. The Bruce crater has about 30 sq m of tar oxidised, with bitumen 80mm depth, 2.4 cu.m, of 95 percent stone, sand and gravel and just 5 percent asphalt. It lost 1 cu.m, say .08 cu.m carbon. 1 cu m of carbon weighs 2 266 kilograms so 190kg. CO2 weight is about 4 times carbon, 760 kg C02.
An average truck emits 223 tons of CO2 per annum, 300 times the explosion's CO2. The explosion was environmentally friendly, added nitrogen to the soil and removed a polluting truck from emitting 70 tons CO2 the rest of this year.

You're an idiot, but I mean that in a friendly way. Grin

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John_Taverner Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 2212 Gender:	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #34 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 7:38am https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-11/exclusion-zone-valkyrie-ammonium-nitrate-... These incidents are only too common. There have been several crashes involving ANE in Western Australia too.
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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11652 armidale Gender:	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #35 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 9:50am Rent A Bomb are your #1 choice for cheap car hire, with a range of quality vehicles at affordable prices. With an easy booking process and plenty of options, your search for cheap car hire ends here! Check out our Specials. Delivery Vehicles. For all your delivery needs. Ask for Bruce. https://www.rentabomb.com.au/
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Gnads

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #36 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 10:18am

Setanta wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 7:27pm:

chimera wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 6:55pm:

Gnads wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2024 at 6:46pm:

What a load of bollocks.

True. All of it. There was no explosion, just processing of tar into CO2. Bruce has the pic of the hole in his highway.

Ammonium nitrate does not explode by it's self normally(not decomposing), as an oxidiser it needs a fuel. If the truck crashed spilt AN and leaked diesel, you have 2 elements of an explosion, all you need is an ignition. The video in this link clearly shows an explosive pattern from where the truck is and the fires spread around show that hot things enough to cause fires were thrown around.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13802989/bruce-highway-closed-truck-bor...

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/09/02/01/89169313-13802989-A_major_Queensland_...

The 2 other explosions of ammonium nitrate on trucks ... one near Moura a long time ago & one at Angelalla Creek sth of Charleville in 2014 involved the ammonium nitrate, leaked diesel contaminating it and fire.

And Chimp - "Ammonium nitrate (AN) is a widely used chemical compound with several important applications. As a fertilizer, it helps feed billions. It is also the main component in many types of mining explosives, where it is mixed with fuel oil and detonated by an explosive charge.

Urea = same same when it comes to being mixed with diesel and has an ignition source.

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« Last Edit: Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 10:23am by Gnads »

"When you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It's only painful and difficult for others. The same applies when you are stupid." ~ Ricky Gervais

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chimera

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #37 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 1:22pm

Urea nitrate is explosive when left in a dry state. Wetting reduces possibility of explosion but may explode under prolonged exposure to heat or fire, even when wet. Avoid generating dust, particularly clouds of dust in a confined or unventilated space as dusts may form an explosive mixture with air, and any source of ignition, i.e. flame or spark, will cause fire or explosion. Dry dust can be charged electrostatically by pouring, in exhaust ducts and during transport.

Bunnings Specialised Fertiliser Garden Products.
Richgro 10kg Urea. Place flashing lights on car roof, with red flags front and back. Wrap kids in wet sacks. Speed limit 10kmh. Check life insurance and funeral policies. Store Urea in a concrete bunker and alert your Fire Brigade.

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tallowood Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6048	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #38 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 3:18pm The Bruce Highway in central Queensland is expected to reopen tonight after a chemical truck explosion last week left a five-metre crater on the critical corridor.
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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11652 armidale Gender:	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #39 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 3:47pm Mr Mellish said his department would explore ways to avoid transporting dangerous goods on the highway, such as through the state's rail system or asking Bruce.
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John_Taverner

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #40 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 6:07pm

Gnads wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 10:18am:

Urea = same same when it comes to being mixed with diesel and has an ignition source.

You're probably thinking of Urea Nitrate. Now that is explosive, but it's not used much commercially. It's favoured by terrorists.

Urea is not. Think Adblu. It's about 30% urea in water. If it were explosive, it wouldn't be used with diesel engines.

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chimera

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #41 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 6:28pm

Urea.
'If a vacuum is used, explosion proof equipment is required. Nonsparking tools should be used. Dust deposits should not be allowed to accumulate on surfaces, as these may form an explosive mixture if they are released into the atmosphere in sufficient concentrations.'
https://iowafertilizer.com/assets/uploads/2017/02/IFCo-Urea-Granules-SDS-with-ST...

Place sandbags in the boot of your car. Vacuum the car at the beach or Bruce Highway.

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Bobby. Gold Member Online Australian Politics Posts: 105561 Melbourne Gender:	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #42 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 6:39pm The road wasn't affected - why did they close it? see story here: https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/8751497/like-a-missile-crater-blast-road-...
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Setanta

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Re: Bruce Highway closed
Reply #43 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 6:40pm

chimera wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 6:28pm:

Urea.
'If a vacuum is used, explosion proof equipment is required. Nonsparking tools should be used. Dust deposits should not be allowed to accumulate on surfaces, as these may form an explosive mixture if they are released into the atmosphere in sufficient concentrations.'
https://iowafertilizer.com/assets/uploads/2017/02/IFCo-Urea-Granules-SDS-with-ST...

Place sandbags in the boot of your car. Vacuum the car at the beach or Bruce Highway.

Urea.
Dried fermented piss.

Urea Nitrate.
Dried fermented piss and nitric acid.

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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11652 armidale Gender:	Re: Bruce Highway closed Reply #44 - Sep 3^rd, 2024 at 7:05pm Urea. Car is gone. Urea nitrate. House and car are gone.
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