The TNT and ANFO equivalences of the Beirut explosion

On 4 August 2020, an estimated 2.75 kt of ammonium nitrate exploded in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. Rigby et al. (Shock Waves 30:671–675, 2020) used observations from numerous video recordings of the explosion to estimate the time-of-arrival of the primary shock at 38 positions, the distances of whi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Shock waves 2021, Vol.31 (1), p.95-99
Main Author: Dewey, J. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Ammonium nitrate
Condensed Matter Physics
Data analysis
Engineering
Engineering Fluid Dynamics
Engineering Thermodynamics
Equivalence
Explosions
Fluid- and Aerodynamics
Heat and Mass Transfer
Shock waves
Technical Note
Thermodynamics
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Summary:On 4 August 2020, an estimated 2.75 kt of ammonium nitrate exploded in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. Rigby et al. (Shock Waves 30:671–675, 2020) used observations from numerous video recordings of the explosion to estimate the time-of-arrival of the primary shock at 38 positions, the distances of which from the centre of the explosion were determined from Google maps. These data were analysed to make a preliminary estimate of the TNT equivalence of the explosion, with a best estimate of 0.5 kt and an upper limit of 1.12 kt. Rigby et al. have made their data available for other users, and the present paper describes how these data have been further analysed to obtain the TNT and ANFO equivalences as functions of radial distances from the centre of the explosion. The TNT equivalence varies from 0.15 to 0.7 kt, with a median value of about 0.5 kt, in agreement with the Rigby et al. result. The ANFO equivalence varies from 0.2 to 1.0 kt with a median value of about 0.75 kt. Some additional thoughts about the Beirut explosion are appended.
ISSN:0938-1287
1432-2153
DOI:10.1007/s00193-021-00992-1