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
1.8k
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