Posted by  Bob Nichols on September 24, 2001 at 20:56:44:

In Reply to:  Re: WTC Collapse posted by JohnMV. on September 24, 2001 at 01:01:46:

John,

10,000 degrees F seems somewhat high, did an extra zero creep in there?

I am unsure of the octane rating of gas turbine fuel as I have never seen it quoted. I am not sure that anyone would consider it important , after all gas turbines can't knock. As interest, JP5 turbine fuel is basically a form of kerosene.

I am surprised that the whole building was protected by halon gas. I used to work on mainframe computer floors that were protected by halon and judging by the amount of gas required to protect a single floor, the amount required to protect a building would be extrordinary. Of course, in Australia, halon was banned due to its effect on the ozone layer and halon systems were replaced by carbon dioxide systems - even more bulky.

As to the sprinker system, it would have still been useful (although probably not enough to avoid the collapse) assuming it survived the initial impact and explosion. Water is still used in petrochemical fires, foam is used to strangle the fire of oxygen but water is used to cool down the surfaces and thus stop re-ignition , foam has no cooling effect. If the sprinkler system did work, it does not matter whether the water reached the steel or not, all that mattered was that the water would lock up heat energy in heat of vapourisation and reduce the peak temperatures of the fire.

One of the possible major problems was that the impact and explosion could have stripped quite large amounts of the insulation away from the structural steel causing the buildings to collapse sooner than expected.

Bob

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