Chinese scientists have developed a non-nuclear explosive device based on hydrogen fuel that produces a white-hot fireball lasting over two seconds, as per a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP). This duration of the fireball generated by the two kg bomb is 15 times longer than the equivalent TNT blasts. The temperature reached 1,000 degrees Celsius without using any nuclear material, the outlet further said. The explosive has been developed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation's (CSSC) 705 Research Institute. It uses a magnesium-based solid state hydrogen storage material.
The SCMP report said that the explosive was originally developed to bring gas to off-grid areas, to power fuel cells for clean electricity and heat.
The discovery has been published in a peer-reviewed paper published in Chinese language Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles And Guidance. The paper says that the silvery powder present in the explosive device, called magnesium hydride, undergoes rapid thermal decomposition when activated by conventional explosives and released hydrogen gas that turned into a sustained fireball.
"Hydrogen gas explosions ignite with minimal ignition energy, have a broad explosion range, and unleash flames that race outward rapidly while spreading widely," SCMP quoted the team as saying in a statement.
"This combination allows precise control over blast intensity, easily achieving uniform destruction of targets across vast areas," the statement further said.
While the fireball produced by the new weapon lasted 2 seconds, a TNT blast causes a 0.12-second flash, said the researchers. The temperature in the fireball, which ie being compared to a blowtorch, is enough to melt aluminium alloys.
The blast was carried out in a controlled environment, and delivered 40 per cent of the TNT's blast force, yet the weapon showed a greater thermal damage radius. The researchers also looked at the weapon's other potential military applications, such as using it to cover a large area with intense heat and focusing its power on high-value targets to destroy them.
This outlook has led to some chatter about the new explosive, but it's not clear how the People's Liberation Army (PLA) plans to use it.
