Energy Released from a Steam-Water Explosion
Joe Udel decides to install his own 52-gallon (0.197 m ^{3}) hot-water heater. However, being cheap, he ignores safety codes and neglects to add safety devices such as a thermostat and a rupture disk or pressure relief valve. In operation, the hot-water heater is almost completely filled with liquid water and the pressure in the heater tank is the waterline pressure of 1.8 bar or the water saturation pressure at the heater temperature, whichever is greater. The water heater tank will rupture at a pressure of 20 bar. Several hours after Joe completes the installation of the water heater, it explodes.
a. What was the temperature of the water when the tank exploded?
b. Estimate the energy released in the blast.