In recent weeks, for one reason or another, China appears in the headlines. And this time it is for an explosive advance. Literally. A team of Chinese scientists, led by Wang Xuefeng Han An explosive device based on hydrogen in a controlled field test detonated successfullytriggering devastating chain chemical reactions without using nuclear materials.
The 2 kg pump generated a fireball that exceeded 1000 ° C for more than two secondswhich means that it is 15 times more than equivalent TNT explosions. And all this without using nuclear materials.
Developed by the 705 Research Institute of the State Naval Construction Corporation of China (CSSC), key company in underwater weapons systems, the device Use a solid state -based hydrogen storage material based on magnesium.
This material, a silver powder known as magnesium hydride, stores considerably more hydrogen than a pressurized tank. It was originally developed to transport gas to isolated areas of the electricity grid, where it could feed fuel batteries to generate clean electricity and heating.
By activating with conventional explosives, magnesium hydride experienced a rapid thermal decomposition, releasing hydrogen gas that caught fire in a prolonged explosionaccording to the study Published in Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance.
“Hydrogen gas explosions are lit with a minimum ignition energy, they have a wide range and unleash flames that extend rapidly and extend widely – affirm the authors -. This combination allows precise control of the intensity of the explosion, easily achieving the uniform destruction of objectives in extensive areas. ”
The Hydrogen pump can cause prolonged thermal damage because the incandescent fire ball produced (enough to melt aluminum alloys) lasts much more than the fleeting flash of 0.12 seconds of the TNT.
The Wang team carried out a series of experiments that demonstrated the gun directed energy potential. Under restricted detonation, Maximum overpressure reached 428.43 kilophapals Two meters from the pump, approximately 40 % of the TNT explosion force, but with a much greater heat projection range, they discovered.
Those responsible also analyzed other possible military applications of the weapon, such as their use to cover a wide area with intense heat and concentrate its power on high value objectives to destroy them. According to the study, the chain reaction begins when the shock waves of the detonation fracture magnesium hydride in micrometric particles, exposing new surfaces.
Thermal decomposition quickly releases hydrogen gas, which is mixed with ambient air. When reaching the lower explosive limit, the mixture is inflamed, triggering an exothermic combustion.
This liberated heat further propagates the decomposition of magnesium hydride, creating A self -sustainable cycle until fuel exhaustion: a synergistic cascade of mechanical fracturinghydrogen release and thermal feedback, according to the article. The article did not reveal the origin of the large amount of magnesium hydride used in the test. Nor is it clear under what conditions the weapon could be deployed.
Until recently, magnesium hydride could only occur in laboratories at a pace of a few grams per day. This is because the union of hydrogen with magnesium requires high temperatures and pressure. Accidental air exposure during the manufacturing process can cause mortal explosions.
However, earlier this year, China opened a magnesium hydride plant In the northwestern province of Shaanxi, capable of producing 150 tons of this material per year. Developed by the Institute of Chemistry Physics of Dalian, the plant has achieved low production costs through a “synthesis in a single container”, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
They are exploring Other uses of solid hydrogen storage technology, as in fuel batteries for submarines and energy systems for long -term drones, according to public information. Some notable military technological advances driven For energyYoA In history they include steam ships to carbeithern of the nineteenth century, which replaced wood fleets, Petry tankseitherLeo redefined mobility and thermonuclear weapons that promoted the rowing career of the Cold War.