China tests powerful non-nuclear hydrogen bomb

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: According to the South China Morning Post, Chinese researchers have successfully detonated a hydrogen-based explosive bomb in a controlled field test. The bomb was able to create intense chemical chain reactions without using any nuclear material.

 

According to a study published last month, the 2-kilogram bomb was able to create a fire with a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius for more than 2 seconds, an explosion time that is 15 times longer than a similar explosion with the explosive TNT and no nuclear material was used.

 

The bomb was developed by a research institute affiliated with the China State Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and uses magnesium hydride as a hydrogen storage source. Magnesium hydride, a silver-colored powder, has a high hydrogen storage capacity and was designed to transport hydrogen gas to areas without access to the power grid and provide clean energy and heating.

 

In an article published in the journal Projects, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance, the researchers stated that when magnesium hydride is activated with conventional explosives, it undergoes rapid thermal decomposition and releases hydrogen gas, which causes a sustained fire.

 

“The hydrogen gas explosion starts with minimal spark energy and covers a wide range of explosions, creating flames that spread rapidly and spread over a wide area,” the research team leader said, according to ISNA. This combination provides the ability to precisely control the intensity of the explosion and achieve uniform destruction of targets over large areas.”

 

The paper did not provide detailed information on the supply of magnesium hydride needed for the test, and it remains unclear under what conditions the People’s Liberation Army might use the weapon. Previously, magnesium hydride could only be produced in laboratories at a rate of a few grams per day, because hydrogen bonding with magnesium required high temperatures and pressures, and accidental contact with air during production could pose a deadly explosion risk.

 

But earlier this year, China opened a magnesium hydride plant in the northwestern province of Shaanxi with a capacity to produce 150 tons of the material per year. The plant, built by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, has significantly reduced production costs by using a “one-step synthesis” method, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.