| ▲ | mmooss a day ago |
| They say it will fail for sure, either leak or explode. I wonder why they can't drain the tank into another facility. Maybe they just lack an appropriate container. |
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| ▲ | gazook89 a day ago | parent | next [-] |
| I believe they are having issues with the valves, from what I’ve read. But I’m just some guy. |
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| ▲ | btilly a day ago | parent [-] | | They are having valve problems. One of the possible reasons is that it may be turning into a solid plastic. If so, that could be one of the best outcomes. As long as it does not blow up before the process completes. | | |
| ▲ | slicktux a day ago | parent | next [-] | | Yes, as of recent the third possibility mentioned by officials is that it will
Turn into plastic and not explode. | |
| ▲ | crote a day ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Provided the plastic doesn't need significantly more space than the source material, of course. We all know what happens when you try freezing a sealed bottle filled with water. | | |
| ▲ | btilly 9 hours ago | parent [-] | | Solids generally take less volume than liquids. Water is very unusual in this regard |
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| ▲ | itishappy 15 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Turning into plastic is an exothermic reaction. That's what's heating the tank. | | |
| ▲ | btilly 9 hours ago | parent [-] | | It is also a slower exothermic reaction. Which makes it possibly manageable. | | |
| ▲ | itishappy 6 hours ago | parent [-] | | Than what? Genuinely curious. I thought that the main exothermic thing monomers did was polymerization or combustion, and we're really hoping to prevent the latter. |
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| ▲ | scruple 21 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| I live nearby, I'm hosting some family at my home who have been evacuated. A fireman friend who has been to the site said the same. That it'll either explode or spill and they're banking on it spilling. |
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| ▲ | thephyber 21 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Many people have already mentioned that officials have stated the valve isn’t working. But also, the chemical is actively undergoing an exothermic reaction (which is why the tank is at risk for failure). How do you transport such a toxic fluid without putting much more of the public at risk? |
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| ▲ | harshreality 19 hours ago | parent [-] | | If you can get it out of the tank, you can prevent further runaway polymerization by adding an inhibitor like hydroquinone. I don't understand why a storage tank for this stuff doesn't have an injection port, independent from any other pipes or valves, that could be used to add an inhibitor. Maybe it does and it's broken (clogged with PMMA from the reaction) as well? | | |
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| ▲ | KZerda 21 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| The valve's jammed, so they can't really pump things in or out. |
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| ▲ | SadErn 20 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
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