[muawiyah]

The possibility for explosion probably depends how much pure e-glycol is mixed with how much air, and how hot the heat source is that ignites the mixture.

You can even get massive explosions with nothing but dust from grains of wheat mixed with air.

I proposed a way for "drying out" the ethylene glycol sprayed out of the radiator several hours earlier when she pulled into the garage and ran into a work bench.

Remember e-glycol evaporates at a higher temperature than water, and freezes at a lower temperature than water. That's why it's added to the water.

If you spray the anti-freeze out through tiny holes in the radiator you create a great deal of mechanical separation of the solution that makes it much easier for the water and e-glycol to go their merry ways ~ the water into a condensate on cold metal automobile structures and parts ~ e-glycol into a cold spray drifting around through the unventilated garage.

Eventually you get a very nice e-glycol and air mixture.

I think ATF prefers an electrical detonation here hence the targeting of the lightbulbs. I think the heating coil on the catalytic converter is more likely since it tokes up to about 1300 degrees F.

Now you can start a fire most anywhere with that!

It's possible ATF never looked at the catalytic converter not realizing that BMW has had a modified device in use for many years.

Now, about when the cat starts heating up or the lights turn on? The second the doors open will turn on the lights. Still she managed to get into the car. That's where I rule out the lights. If there was going to be an electrical detonation it would have happened immediately ~ which is obviously not the case.

[Gabrial]

http://books.google.com/books?id=4ewS-AqdCM0C&pg=PA466&lpg=PA466&dq=ethylene+glycol+and+air+explosion&source=bl&ots=VUgzwPOzlE&sig=IZqZfDGdg2UYFRZDgMBH1EA6udA&hl=en&ei=L1xUTcSvHYK88gaz9OT9CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ethylene%20glycol%20and%20air%20explosion&f=false

Ethylene Glycol vapor explosion limits in air

Lower explosion limit = 3.2 percent by volume
Upper explosion limit = unknown

Flash point 231 degrees Farenheit

According to this text if you could get up to 3.2% e-glycol vapor to air mixture and a 231 degree heat source you might have a “boom”.

[Gabrial]

“The possibility for explosion probably depends how much pure e-glycol is mixed with how much air, and how hot the heat source is that ignites the mixture.”

I made a call to a friend that is a research chemist for Dow chemical. She has a Masters and P.H.D. in research chemistry.

She said to get an e-glycol vapor explosion (entirely possible) you need a continuous heat source heating an open container of e-glycol in an enclosed area for an extended period of time. Any other scenario, no boom. That is why it is so safe in cars.

She thinks some other chemical blew the garage (like gas).