[Gandalf_The_Gray]

Same principle, but sounds like this uses aluminum powder rather than liquid dispersal. The Military Channel had a good show about thermobaric explosives. Very violent blast effects

You could use just about any combustible power, grain mills, flour mills, and coal mines are all subject to dust explosions. The Nazi's developed a sort of "vortex" gun that expelled huge swirling clouds of flame, it was powered with coal dust. They found no practical use for them however.

Thermobaric explosives differ from conventional explosives in that they generate a shock-wave from the entire volume of the dispersed dust cloud whereas conventional explosives function as more or less a point source. The conventional shock-wave attenuates as an inverse square relationship and does not easily propagated around coroners. Because of these characteristics distance from the explosion serves to diminish the blast effects rapidly and passageways with coroners provide shielding from the direct blast. Thermobaric explosions overcome these shielding effects by spreading the explosive throughout the target before detonating.

IOW more "BANG" for the buck!

Regards,
GtG

[the anti-liberal]

I'm imagining coroners standing around acting as shields.

You've provided a very good description, but the coroner thing, very funny! (sorry :^) ).

[sionnsar]

The conventional shock-wave attenuates as an inverse square relationship and does not easily propagated around coroners.

Not good. How qualified do the coroners have to be? *\;-)