Rapid phase transition or RPT is a phenomenon realized in

liquefied natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...

(LNG) incidents in which LNG vaporizes violently upon coming in contact with

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

causing what is known as a ''physical explosion'' or ''cold explosion''.Lng Hazard AP
/ref> During such explosions there is no combustion but rather a huge amount of

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

is transferred in the form of heat from the room-temperature water to the LNG at a

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...

difference of about .

LNG Properties

Liquefied natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...

or LNG is a natural gas that gets liquefied at atmospheric pressure and −161.5 °C. It is odorless, tasteless, colorless, and not

poisonous Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

but causes

asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...

. It can cause

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the ha ...

due to its cryogenic temperature. If this extremely cold LNG is mixed with water(e.g. sea water, which has an average temperature of 15 °C), heat energy is transferred from the water to the LNG, rapidly

vaporizing Vaporization (or vaporisation) of an element or compound is a phase transition from the liquid phase to vapor. There are two types of vaporization: evaporation and boiling. Evaporation is a surface phenomenon, whereas boiling is a bulk phenom ...

it from its liquefied state back into its original gaseous state. This results in an explosion because the volume occupied by natural gas in its gaseous form is 600 times greater than when its liquefied. This is the phenomenon of rapid phase transition.

External links

Latest developments in rapid-phase-transition modeling

References

Phase transitions Explosions Liquefied natural gas {{energy-stub

LNG Properties

See also

External links

References