Tweet
Expert: balloons that exploded at RPA rally could contain hydrogen or methane
May 5, 2012 - 11:27 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The balloons that exploded in Yerevan at the
election meeting of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia on May 4,
may have been filled with either hydrogen or methane, since only these
gases possess the lift and explosion capacity, deputy director of
Geliymash NGO Vladimir Fedotov told Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
`Most likely, it was hydrogen. Helium is absolutely inert, it does not
form any chemical reactions,' Fedotov said commenting on allegations
that balloons were filled with helium.
`Chemical compounds of helium require very specific conditions, and
they are unstable. Respiratory blends, including those for deep-water
equipment, are made with helium and hydrogen compounds namely because
helium is an inert gas,' the expert said.
When asked whether the balloons may have carried mixture of helium and
natural gas, Fedotov said this was not possible. `Helium is extracted
from natural gas through liquation, the temperature being such that
all other gases remain solid, and only helium is liquid. Therefore,
technological reasons rule out any mixture or hydrocarbon remainder in
helium,' he stated.
According to him, the balloons hardly had any mixture of helium with
other gases; such blend would require special equipment.
`Besides hydrogen, the only version could be methane, though its lift
capacity is poor. Still, methane could have exploded. Propane-butane
used for household gas stoves is heavier than air, it goes down, while
methane, CH4, weighs less than air. Theoretically, the balloons may
have been filled with methane,' Fedotov said.
`There is no other inflammable gas which would have a lift capacity;
this was either methane or hydrogen,' the expert emphasized.
According to May 5 morning data of the Armenian Healthcare Ministry,
94 of the total 154 people taken to hospitals still undergo medical
treatment, including 25 in intensive care units.
From: A. Papazian
May 5, 2012 - 11:27 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The balloons that exploded in Yerevan at the
election meeting of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia on May 4,
may have been filled with either hydrogen or methane, since only these
gases possess the lift and explosion capacity, deputy director of
Geliymash NGO Vladimir Fedotov told Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
`Most likely, it was hydrogen. Helium is absolutely inert, it does not
form any chemical reactions,' Fedotov said commenting on allegations
that balloons were filled with helium.
`Chemical compounds of helium require very specific conditions, and
they are unstable. Respiratory blends, including those for deep-water
equipment, are made with helium and hydrogen compounds namely because
helium is an inert gas,' the expert said.
When asked whether the balloons may have carried mixture of helium and
natural gas, Fedotov said this was not possible. `Helium is extracted
from natural gas through liquation, the temperature being such that
all other gases remain solid, and only helium is liquid. Therefore,
technological reasons rule out any mixture or hydrocarbon remainder in
helium,' he stated.
According to him, the balloons hardly had any mixture of helium with
other gases; such blend would require special equipment.
`Besides hydrogen, the only version could be methane, though its lift
capacity is poor. Still, methane could have exploded. Propane-butane
used for household gas stoves is heavier than air, it goes down, while
methane, CH4, weighs less than air. Theoretically, the balloons may
have been filled with methane,' Fedotov said.
`There is no other inflammable gas which would have a lift capacity;
this was either methane or hydrogen,' the expert emphasized.
According to May 5 morning data of the Armenian Healthcare Ministry,
94 of the total 154 people taken to hospitals still undergo medical
treatment, including 25 in intensive care units.
From: A. Papazian