Usage of thermobaric explosives to combat forest fires [closed]








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This is a general question but in a thermobaric explosion I know the bomb uses all the present oxygen in the reaction. Could you please give an example of one of these reactions? Even if it isn't exactly what happens during one of these explosions an example would help. Also, could one of these bombs help stop forest fires because it takes away the oxygen which the fire needs for fuel? Could a combustion reaction potentially be a thermobaric reaction?




As simplification, [thermobaric bomb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermobaric_weapon) is like spreading volatile fuel in large volume of air (partly evaporating, partly making aerosol) and then igniting the explosive mixture. In a way, it is the same process as the one occuring in car combustion engines, just in a gigantic volume and in open air. An alternative can be disperging of finely powdered combustible substance. See also [Dust/Fuel-air explosion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion).


If liquid n-alkane is used, the reaction will be


$$\ce{2 C\_{n}H\_{2n+2} + }(3n+1) \ce{O2 -> 2n CO2} + (2n+2)\ce{H2O}$$


Big problem with fire extinction would be scalability of procedure.


Another issue would be that such explosions may ignite what is not being combusted yet at the explosion border regions. As their heat waves are more intense and last longer than when high explosives are used. Be aware fuels contain several times greater specific energy (in $\pu{MJ kg-1}$) than explosives.


It is like impossible to properly dose the fuel to spend like most of oxygen. Its natural content in air is about 21%. The threshold for sustained burning of organic matter is typically 17% (mostly 16-18%).


* If there is at a particular place too little fuel, there would be still oxygen for continuing the fire and explosion can intensify it.
* If there is too much fuel, it would burn later when there is enough oxygen again.


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