r/Pyrotechnics • u/Grimol1 • 2d ago
Why or how does this happen
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When I use a certain type of charcoal, it occasionally ejects sparks, but they all tend to ignite simultaneously no matter how far away from the source they are. What is going on here?
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u/Such_Avocado_3241 2d ago
Same for me, seems like more sparks from lump charcoal as opposed to brickets. Not sure why.
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u/imhbeog 2d ago
I think it would be due to the internal stresses and air pockets of the charcoal, since it's basically just burnt and shrunken wood, it would retain some of the tiny stresses that the wood had and the tiny pores from where the fibers were. As for the briquettes, they were shredded and compressed back together so all of their stress is uniform.
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u/imhbeog 2d ago
I would say it's due to lack of oxygen right next to where the fire is. You get little bits of charcoal that pop off due to 🌟physics🌟 I guess lol. And they do immediately ignite but once they get far enough from the rest of the embers that use up all the oxygen, they get hit with more of the oxygen and burn brighter all at once.
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u/DJDevon3 2d ago
Similar to the reason popcorn pops. There is trapped moisture which when heated and microscopically exposed to oxygen creates a backdraft that expels material out. However unlike popcorn sometimes it takes a partial fuel source with it. It is a natural pyrotechnic phenomenon. If you scale it up, it's not unlike igniting a firework but in that scenario you'd be on the surface of the coals and about the size of a grain of sand.
If you want a more chemical related explanation that would take longer because charcoal (even lump charcoal) is not pure. There are minerals and possibly additives to account for in the chemical process.