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Hribunos t1_j6pfqs9 wrote

Reply to comment by dyqik in Massive ship in the harbor this morning by NAFAL44

Have you ever seen LN2 skittering across a floor? It's like that. There wouldn't actually be that much heat transfer from the ocean- the LNG would skate across the surface on a thin layer of vapor.

I used to work in the seaport, and we ran the numbers - it's not enough to destroy building or whatever but anyone standing on the pier is gonna be a popsicle.

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dyqik t1_j6pgjcm wrote

I build cryostats and operate superconducting detectors - I've been handling liquid cryogens for over twenty years.

I've stuck my hand in liquid nitrogen hundreds of times.

The main danger from liquid cryogens is the displacement of oxygen from the area when it flash boils.

While small amounts of liquid will skate around on a vapor barrier (leidenfrost effect on solid surfaces), in volume, the boiling at the interface between water and the liquid will produce some amount of turbulence and mixing that increases heat transfer.

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