Close-In Phenomenology of the Beirut Explosion
Session: Analyses and Implications of the 4 August 2020 Beirut Explosion Series II
Type: Oral
Date: 4/23/2021
Presentation Time: 10:45 AM Pacific
Description:
On August 4, 2020 nearly 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port in Beirut, Lebanon violently exploded as a result of a large fire caused by welding activity at the warehouse. Because of the spectacle presented by the fire, an array of videos were taken at the time of the explosion from several angles. We took advantage of these videos uploaded to social media and news sites to examine the close-in phenomenology of the explosion in some detail. We review the HE source, the video perspectives and imagery, fireball growth, shock wave propagation, blast damage to surrounding structures, cratering and cloud-rise (in the context of observations from nuclear and non-nuclear legacy testing) to assess the yield of the Beirut explosion. Our analysis results in a best fit yield of 0.82 KT or about 40% detonation efficiency given a 0.70 TNT equivalence for ammonium nitrate with the remainder of the HE source converted to nitrogen dioxide by deflagration to produce the orange-red smoke cloud seen erupting out of the fireball.
Presenting Author: Garrett G. Euler
Student Presenter: No
Authors
Garrett Euler Presenting Author Corresponding Author ggeuler@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory |
Jeremy Best jbest@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory |
Thomas Kunkle u091007@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory |
Thomas Tierney tierney@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory |
Laurie Triplett ltriplett@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory |
Byron Ristvet bristve@sandia.gov Sandia National Laboratories |
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Close-In Phenomenology of the Beirut Explosion
Session
Analyses and Implications of the 4 August 2020 Beirut Explosion Series