Have you ever heard that if a pan takes fire, don’t you have to throw water over the water? The cause is the boiloveran extremely dangerous phenomenon so if water is thrown on hot oil on fire in an attempt to turn off a fire principle, the steam raises the fiery oil creating a dangerous explosion of fire. The same effect can take place on a larger scale when it burns the fuel in the presence of water, as happened in the Tacoa thermoelectric power plant in Venezuela on December 19, 1982, when a tank of fuel oil took fire. Hours later, when everything seemed under control, a gigantic explosion killed Over 150 people. The water on the bottom of the tanks, overheated, transforms it instantly into steam, projecting the burned oil upwards. To avoid it, the accumulation of water in the tanks must be avoided and form the staff. At home, Never throw water on the oil: Better Cover the pan with a lid Or a well squeezed cloth wet. Prevention can save lives.
What happens when the water affects boiling oil on fire
The boilover, in its “home” version, is exactly what happens when We throw water on a pan with hot oil on fire. The water has one greater density than oil And therefore the oil floats and the water tends to sink under it. As soon as the water touches the bottom of the pan (which is very hot) evaporates in a fraction of a second.
This change of state liquid status involves an expansion of the volume of the steam which, having no space to expand, It violently pushes the oil on fire on fire upwards, producing a column of fire. In some cases it may happen that it expands in all directions, creating an explosion of fire.
The same principle, on a much larger scale, is what happens in industrial tanks. Here, the heat spreads for managementuntil you reach the water on the bottom. When this evaporates, the steam exerts enormous pressure, such as to expel the oil in flames with a geyser effect.
Tacoa disaster
The boilover is a danger above all on an industrial level. It was the morning of December 19, 1982, when in the thermoelectric power plant Ricardo Zulaga Of Tacoain Venezuela, a tank full of fuel oil focused. The flames quickly broke out and, for hours, the fire continued to burn under the eyes of hundreds of people: firefighters, journalists and curious had approached the scene, convinced that the situation was now under control. But, suddenly, a gigantic explosion raised a column of fire and smoking, projecting burned oil everywhere.
Intense heat had reached one layer of water present on the bottom of the tank: It was enough for a moment so that that water turned into steam, causing a violent fire eruption. In a few seconds, Over 150 people lost their lives. At the time, the Boilover was a phenomenon still little known, but since then it has become a symbol of the dangers related to industrial fires.
How to make if the oil burns and how to turn off the fire
The most important lesson is perhaps the simplest: Never throw water on the oil on fire. At home, if it happens, you have to Turn off the stove and cover the pan with a lid Or with a well squeezed cloth, avoiding any direct contact with the flame. Firefighting first aid courses should teach this as the first rule.
But also on an industrial level the implications are enormous. It is essential to monitor theresidual humidity in the tanks, prevent the accumulation of water and adequately train the staff. The boilover risk is rare, but not impossible and as Tacoa’s disaster shows can occur After hours of fire, When the worst seems to have passed.
