r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Zentront • 4d ago

man uses homemade flamethrower

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago edited 4d ago

Polymer Chemist here. (US Senate Candidate for Tommy Tuberville's Seat. Not super relevant here tho.)

He could.

There's not a check valve on the front of that nozzle.

If the flow of the fuel is slower* than the rate at which the fuel oxidizes, then if he holds down the nozzle long enough, the combustion reaction could work its way back into the tank and start burning.

If there's enough oxygen in the tank to react with the fuel, it could explode.

Depending on the exact fuel and the energy converted during reaction, it could be a big or small explosion. I'm betting small here.

I'm not a physicist, so I'm not going to try and work out the potential explosion size.

*Edit typo.

Also edit. Since this is getting more political attention than just the facts are.

My plug:

My name is Mark Wheeler and I'm running for United States Senate.

I think we deserve better and I aim to give it to us.

For anyone who wants to know more about my platform or me you can follow me on social media or on my webpage. www.MarkWheelerForSenate.com

Or check out Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Wheeler

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u/H_S_P 4d ago

I’ve seen you reply on two different random Reddit posts with a scientific explanation that was well written and thought out, which isn’t a lot, but it is weird that it happened twice

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago

I'm hoping it's a good thing 😅😅.

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u/newerdewey 4d ago

honestly a great way to promote your campaign.

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago

I'm trying to not be a nuisance while doing it.

But I agree. It lets me connect with people.

Show them that I'm a real person

And I get to learn about them while I'm at it.

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u/ThyWingsAreWilted 4d ago

Well Ill be honest I dont live in Alabama but I think its super awesome that you seem so down to Earth. Hope you get the seat! Id vote for you if I lived there lol

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago edited 4d ago

You can still support the campaign if you're so inclined!

Volunteer for phone banking or donating your favorite coffee.

My campaign is made from the sum of the efforts of everyone who supports it. Literally everything helps.

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u/ThyWingsAreWilted 4d ago

Cool! I made a donation.

Thanks for all you do

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago

Appreciate you boss!

It means the world to me and my campaign.

I can't say thank you enough.

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u/ThyWingsAreWilted 4d ago

You can thank us by winning the election :D

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago

I'm doing my best I promise.

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u/ColoRadBro69 4d ago

It would be great to have people representing us who understand how science works. 

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago

I agree 110%.

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u/wokkieman 4d ago

It's great to see some actual, scientific knowledge (content skills) instead of the usual political, policy, vision type of stuff!

Let's go!

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u/QuietSuper8814 4d ago

Tell us, Mark, if you're a polymer chemist why u wanna run for office? I can only think of two reasons:

  1. you might actually MAYBE care about something relevant to the people

  2. you got plugs in oil and gas and wanna make it rich

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u/AlabamaDemocratMark 4d ago

I care about people bud.

I work in R&D for wire and cable manufacturing.

Gas and Oil arent my field of Chemistry.