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[email protected] dougking888@yahoo.com is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Feb 2007
Posts: 900
Default Forget about expensive diesel fuel

Are you saying that the hydrogen lift bags of the Hindenburg did not
erupt spectacularly into flame?


"Bill Kearney" wrote:
Oh they burned alright, but being wrapped in a highly flammable material
made the fire all that much worse. The disaster may well have been avoided
entirely had they not put that on the covering.


IIRC you're right in that the skin caught fire first... most likely
theory is that it was sabotage. However the hydrogen lift cells burned
very quickly, faster than the skin.... which is why the film/photos
show a burst of flame from the nose while much of the skin was still
intact.


Hydrogen dissipates quite rapidly. That and the amount needed for most
vehicle applications presents nowhere near the risks of an airship with
flammable paint.


Depends on who you're talking to. There are a lot of difficulties
handling hydrogen as an industrial gas; certainly hydrogen fuel
systems can be made tight & safe. But they'll be more complex & more
expensive than a diesel fuel system... and look how many people have
problems with those

Regards
Doug King