Now, most people are aware that gasoline is a flammable substance. Especially in Ohio, where we now have a law that says you can't light a grill within 20 feet of a building, passed in response to some guy having blown up his little hibachi grill on an apartment balcony (because he used gasoline in it) and set the building on fire, people would be well aware that gas is very, very flammable.
Most smokers are aware that the tip of a cigarette being smoked is actually burning, since moments ago they had to light it using a flame. I refuse to give anyone the benefit of doubt regarding whether or not they know that when you ignite something with a flame, it is thereafter on fire. (I do fail miserably to see the logic in setting an object on fire and then sticking it in your mouth so that you can breathe in the burning ashes and poisonous gasses from it, but that's an entirely different rant.)
So... one should be able reasonably expect that most folks would be smart enough to avoid bringing a burning object into the same space as a very, very flammable liquid, especially when there's a lot of said liquid in the ground under said folks' feet. I really think this should fall under the category of common sense. Honestly, who wants to risk being blown to bits the size of corn flakes? I think having that happen to me would kind of suck. I would really prefer to not do that.
Why, then, is it that when my co-workers and I go out to make sure our lot is clean and presentable, we find buttloads (pun intended) of spent cigarettes all around the gas pumps? Do people not realize that dropping their smoldering butts (and I've found them still smoldering on the ground) next to the pump is just as stupid as smoking at the pump?
Why, when we catch people in the act and shut off the pump, do they get angry with us? Do they really think the sign admonishing them to not smoke is just a suggestion? It's not... it's the law. In fact, we can get busted if we don't stop the pumps when we see them smoking.
My particular store just happens to be a stone's throw away from an Air Force Base. As such, we do get a lot of business from the base, including pilots, marines, independent contractors, tourists, etc.
One day, a very upset man with one of those nametag/clearance level cards around his neck stomped into the store, pointed out to the first cashier a customer smoking at the pump, then approached the manager of the store. The guy was so mad he was shaking. The cashier shut off the pump immediately while the guy quietly told the manager (who was standing next to me) about the argument he'd had with the smoker.
Apparently, when the guy had reminded the smoker to not smoke at the pump, the smoker had cited an episode of Myth Busters in which they had proved that dropping a cigarette into a puddle of gas would not start a fire. The smug smoker then continued to drag on his butt as the guy explained first that he was a rocket scientist who worked with fighter jets and had nearly a decade of schooling on the subject and multiple decades of experience with flammable substances, and then the difference between the ignition temperature of a puddle of gas and the ignition temperature of a cloud of gas fumes.
Myth Busters had not addressed fumes in that episode, nor had they stated that it was safe to smoke at a gas pump. After learning that he was talking to a rocket scientist, the smoker still continued to keep his cigarette lit, called the guy an idiot, and said that he'd seen all the proof he needed on TV.
When my co-worker shut off the pump, the smoker came in and threw a royal, screaming fit, threatened to "call corporate." The manager told him to go ahead... it's to our advantage when they know that we are following the rules. The angry customer paid for his gas, and then stormed out to his car and drove off. After he left, I calmed down our upset guest by asking the room, "What kind of an idiot argues with a rocket scientist about how fire works?" Everyone laughed, and business went back to normal.
People who think that there is no danger of setting off gas fumes with cigarettes, sparks, etc. must not know how an internal combustion engine works, something I thought was fairly common knowledge. Maybe it's not... I learned it in the 8th grade in science class, but my science teacher had taken a second job as a used car salesman, so maybe he just taught us that because he found it interesting. It's something everyone should know, but I've realized lately that there are a lot of things everyone should know which most people don't.
So, for the benefit of those who were never taught this stuff:
The very thing that makes your car go is the fact that gas fumes can be set off easily. (For those readers who didn't learn about the Internal Combustion Engine in science class in school, it's explained really well HERE.)
The important thing to note for this post is how the fuel is ignited. Remember that in an internal combustion engine, fuel and air are shot into the combustion chamber together. It comes out in a mist, like hair spray from an aerosol can, or perfume from a diffuser. In other words, what is being ignited is gas vapor, not a puddle of gas as in the Mythbusters demonstration. It's not just fuel that's being ignited. It's fuel and oxygen.
Now, think back to the last time you accidentally got gasoline on you. It totally reeked, right? You probably smelled it until you changed your clothes. Even if you didn't, everyone else did. If you know anything about why we smell things, then you know that smell means there are particles of gas in the air. (Yes, when you smell anything, that means that particles of it have gotten into your nose. Think of that the next time someone around you lets a really foul fart!)
The reason why the gas is combined with air is that fire needs oxygen. When a flammable substance is mixed with oxygen, it is much, much easier to ignite. Hopefully everyone reading this learned that in elementary school science just like I did, but if not, you know now. This is not an excuse to pour liquid gas or lighter fluid into the flames on your backyard grill - you can still get burned doing that, as the jerk who ruined it for all apartment renters in Ohio learned the hard way.
It does explain why it's a bad idea to pour gas onto charcoal, let it sit a minute, and then light it... by that time there is a cloud of fumes above the charcoal and there will be a fireball when you drop in that lit match... if you get the chance to let go before the explosion.
Even a cigarette lighter works that way, only with butane instead of gasoline. As you flick your Bic, it releases vapor from inside the little plastic part at the same time as the friction created by the device's modern version of flint and steel produces a spark. Every time a smoker lights his/her cancer stick, he/she is demonstrating exactly why one does not want to have any active means of ignition around an active means of dispensing a flammable liquid which evaporates quickly when exposed to air.
Anyway, the vapor effect is why your car has spark plugs and not some kind of flame producing device, and it is what pushes the pistons and makes your engine work in the manner which moves your car. Because it is dealing with a vapor instead of a liquid, less effort is needed to produce a flame, and all of the fuel ignites very, very rapidly instead of the ignition moving slowly across the substance as with wood, coal, or even liquid fuel. This causes an explosion inside the combustion chamber. The force of the explosion moves the piston, etc.
The same thing can happen with gas fumes next to a gas pump. A small spill can produce enough vapor to make a big fireball right where you are standing. Even a single, small spark can be enough to ignite gas fumes.
The important thing to note for this post is how the fuel is ignited. Remember that in an internal combustion engine, fuel and air are shot into the combustion chamber together. It comes out in a mist, like hair spray from an aerosol can, or perfume from a diffuser. In other words, what is being ignited is gas vapor, not a puddle of gas as in the Mythbusters demonstration. It's not just fuel that's being ignited. It's fuel and oxygen.
Now, think back to the last time you accidentally got gasoline on you. It totally reeked, right? You probably smelled it until you changed your clothes. Even if you didn't, everyone else did. If you know anything about why we smell things, then you know that smell means there are particles of gas in the air. (Yes, when you smell anything, that means that particles of it have gotten into your nose. Think of that the next time someone around you lets a really foul fart!)
The reason why the gas is combined with air is that fire needs oxygen. When a flammable substance is mixed with oxygen, it is much, much easier to ignite. Hopefully everyone reading this learned that in elementary school science just like I did, but if not, you know now. This is not an excuse to pour liquid gas or lighter fluid into the flames on your backyard grill - you can still get burned doing that, as the jerk who ruined it for all apartment renters in Ohio learned the hard way.
It does explain why it's a bad idea to pour gas onto charcoal, let it sit a minute, and then light it... by that time there is a cloud of fumes above the charcoal and there will be a fireball when you drop in that lit match... if you get the chance to let go before the explosion.
Even a cigarette lighter works that way, only with butane instead of gasoline. As you flick your Bic, it releases vapor from inside the little plastic part at the same time as the friction created by the device's modern version of flint and steel produces a spark. Every time a smoker lights his/her cancer stick, he/she is demonstrating exactly why one does not want to have any active means of ignition around an active means of dispensing a flammable liquid which evaporates quickly when exposed to air.
Anyway, the vapor effect is why your car has spark plugs and not some kind of flame producing device, and it is what pushes the pistons and makes your engine work in the manner which moves your car. Because it is dealing with a vapor instead of a liquid, less effort is needed to produce a flame, and all of the fuel ignites very, very rapidly instead of the ignition moving slowly across the substance as with wood, coal, or even liquid fuel. This causes an explosion inside the combustion chamber. The force of the explosion moves the piston, etc.
The same thing can happen with gas fumes next to a gas pump. A small spill can produce enough vapor to make a big fireball right where you are standing. Even a single, small spark can be enough to ignite gas fumes.
Don't believe me?
Read some proof:
The kid's step brother was smoking while pumping gas. When the nozzle caught fire, he pulled it out and the kid got sprayed, and ended up burned over a majority of his body.
Story about a woman who started a fire by smoking while pumping gas
From Elizabeth Cohen
CNN
(This article includes an example of a fire started by a spark from static electricity at the pump during refueling.)
CNN
(This article includes an example of a fire started by a spark from static electricity at the pump during refueling.)
If that isn't enough, read This Thread from the Airstream Knowledge Sharing Forums
No comments:
Post a Comment