METHANE HERE IS A NATURAL GAS,
AND IT'S MOST OF WHAT COMES OUT
OF YOUR STOVE AT HOME
TO COOK WITH.
IT'S A FLAMMABLE GAS, BUT IT'S
NOT FLAMMABLE ON ITS OWN.
IT ACTUALLY REQUIRES A CERTAIN
AMOUNT OF OXYGEN OUT OF THE AIR
IN ORDER TO BURN.
HOW MUCH OXYGEN?
WELL, THAT ACTUALLY
TURNS OUT TO BE
A VERY PARTICULAR RELATIONSHIP.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF OXYGEN
TO FLAMMABLE GAS
IS CALLED "STOICHIOMETRY."
Narrator: TO CREATE FIRE, IT
TAKES HEAT, FUEL, AND OXYGEN.
AND WHEN IT COMES
TO FLAMMABLE GASES,
THE AMOUNT OF FUEL TO OXYGEN IS
A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP
CALLED "STOICHIOMETRY."
TOO MUCH FUEL OR TOO LITTLE,
AND THERE'LL BE NOTHING CLOSE
TO A FLAME.
BUT GET THE PERFECT MIXTURE,
AND YOU GET AN EXPLOSION.
NOW, ACCORDING TO THE MOVIE,
IT TOOK BOURNE 20 SECONDS
TO GET THAT EXPLOSIVE RATIO
OF AIR TO GAS JUST RIGHT.
SO, NOW THE MYTHBUSTERS ARE
DIALING IN TO FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.
[ CAR ALARM BLARING ]
WE KNOW THAT IF WE'RE GONNA
GET METHANE TO BURN,
WE NEED A RATIO OF BETWEEN 6%
AND 17% FUEL TO AIR.
THE IDEAL RANGE IS ABOUT
9% METHANE, THE REST AIR.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS WHAT
THAT ACTUALLY MEANS.
DOES THAT MEAN
IF WE ARE A LITTLE OFF,
WE GET SORT OF A "WHOOF,"
BUT IF WE GET RIGHT AT THE 9%,
WE'RE GETTING
A REAL STRONG BANG?
BEFORE WE GO FULL SCALE, WE WANT
TO REALLY KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS MAKE
A 10"x10"x10" CUBIC BOX,
AND THAT WILL ALLOW US
TO REALLY EASILY DIAL IN
ON THESE RATIOS
TO SEE WHAT IT MEANS.
Narrator:
AND WHILE JAMIE IS BOXING,
ADAM HAS THE RATIOS IN THE BAG.
Adam: ONE OF THE RATIOS
I WANT TO PLAY WITH IS
9% FLAMMABLE GAS TO AIR.
THIS BAG HOLDS 9% OF THE VOLUME
OF THIS CHAMBER.
I WILL FILL IT WITH GAS.
I WILL THEN HOOK IT UP
TO THE CHAMBER,
OPEN UP BOTH OF THE VALVES,
PRESS THE GAS INTO THE CHAMBER.
I'LL BE DISPLACING THE AIR
THAT COMES OUT OF
THIS LITTLE HOLE RIGHT HERE.
SEAL IT UP, WALK AWAY,
IGNITE IT
WITH A NEON TRANSFORMER,
AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Narrator:
ADAM'S BAGS WILL HELP THE GUYS
ZONE IN ON EXACTLY WHAT RATIO
OF METHANE TO AIR IS EXPLOSIVE.
AND SPEAKING OF METHANE...
SO THAT WE CAN
IGNITE THIS THING SAFELY,
WE'RE GONNA REMOTELY TURN ON
THIS NEON TRANSFORMER
THAT WILL CREATE
A HIGH-VOLTAGE SPARK
INSIDE THE METHANE CHAMBER.
IN HERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO VARY
THE METHANE CONCENTRATIONS,
IGNITE IT, AND SEE WHAT WE GET.
Narrator: FIRST UP,
A TEST AT THE VERY BOTTOM
OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC ZONE --
6%.
WE'RE GOOD.
Jamie:
OKAY, 6% IN 3...2...1.
[ LAUGHS ]
WE EXPECTED SOMETHING,
AND SOMETHING HAPPENED!
[ LAUGHS ]
OUR FRANGIBLE BOX SEPARATED
JUST AS WE HOPED IT WOULD,
AND IT WAS ACTUALLY
KIND OF A LITTLE BIT
OF A [IMITATES EXPLOSION]
I WAS EXPECTING A LITTLE MORE
FROM AN EXPLOSION,
AND I'M INTERESTED
TO SEE IF
OUR OPTIMAL STOICHIOMETRIC RATIO
GIVES US THAT.
ME, TOO.
WELL, LET'S SET IT UP.
OKAY.
Narrator: 6% IS EXPLOSIVE,
BUT WHAT IF BOURNE ACHIEVED
THE OPTIMAL RATIO
OF 9% METHANE TO AIR?
9% IN 3...2...1...
WELL, THAT WAS
MORE ENERGETIC.
9% WAS DEFINITELY
MORE ENERGETIC, BUT FOR ADAM,
THE SURPRISING THING IS
THAT AT BOTH RATIOS,
THEY SCORED
THE MYTHICAL EXPLOSION
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
