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The Extraordinary Design of the Bombardier Beetle BMB9C The Extraordinary Design of the Bombardier Beetle Andy McIntosh, Leeds, UK Joseph Lawrence, Starkville, Mississippi, USA 8th International Conference on Creation, Pittsburgh, July 30th - Aug. 1st , 2018 • section on Bombardier Beetle — Bombardier beetles The extraordinary bombardier beetle emits a hot spray to ward off any would be predator – and usually wins. The spray is a mixture of caustic chemicals, hot water and steam and is blasted out of a special nozzle which can be pointed in any direction! 3 1 2 1 African bombardier beetle (Stenaptinus insignis) 2 Bombardier beetle spraying an ant attacker This is like fring an automatic machine gun with repeated bursts. Special defence system with moveable ants, birds, spiders and frogs (fgure 2). The beetle The author (Andy10 McIntosh), inspired by the tank turret! generally wins and stuns its opponent! beetle, realised there was a clever design to be How does it do this? The chemicals do not come discovered, and work began at Leeds University UK ombardier beetles (Carabidae Brachinini) out as a continuous stream. Professor Tom Eisner in collaboration with Eisner. We showed that these are found mainly in warm countries such as in 1999 produced a seminal paper on the beetle and blasts were controlled by a unique valve system, Bparts of Asia, Africa, Australia, USA (Florida, showed that a series of explosions is produced by the where not only was there an inlet valve that closed California). But they are also found in Europe two chemicals hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide under high pressure, but that there was also an outlet and small colonies have even been observed in the in the presence of two catalysts: catalase and valve which opens at high pressure (fgure 4). As 4 84 explained on page 86, this leads to a violent fash southern part of England. They are usually not far peroxidase. (A catalyst makes the reaction go much from water and hide during the day under rocks. faster but does not actually undergo chemical changeevaporation event where almost instantaneously The bombardier beetle (fgures 1, 2) ejects a mixture itself.) In a clever experiment, Eisner flmed a fringthe liquid (mostly water) expands to steam. Because of chemically heated steam and noxious chemicals tethered African bombardier beetle, and then played 3 A bombar 10 to fire over itsdier back beetle demonstrating the turret which enables it out of its back end through a special turret which it back in slow motion. Through this he showed that Aneshansley, D.J. & Eisner, T., Spray aiming in the bombardier beetle: photographic evidence, Photo reproduced under Photolibrar can be moved in any direction (even twisting over about 500 explosions were given off per second Nationaland Academy of Sciences USA, 96, pp. 9705–9709, 1999. its back and pointing forwards – see fgure 3). The that repeated blasts, each lasting 2–3 seconds, were 4 Bombar whole system is used to ward off predators such as emitted from the beetle (fgure 3). Diagram reproduceddier beetle from valve original system in Physicsy (London) World, licence 21(4), 4511 30, Proceedings April 2008 of the 85 • “Wonders of Creation” by Stuart Burgess and Andy McIntosh 84 - Editor : Brian Edwards 85 Richard Dawkins Dec 27th 2006 Maybe Burgess and McIntosh are right and all the rest of us — biologists, geologists, archeologists, historians, chemists, physicists, cosmologists and, yes, thermodynamicists and respectable theologians, the vast majority of Nobel Prizewinners, Fellows of the Royal Society and of the National Academies of the world — are wrong … h#ps://www.theguardian.com/commen6sfree/2006/dec/27/post845 Richard Dawkins Dec 27th 2006 …. Not just slightly wrong but catastrophically, appallingly, devastatingly wrong. It is possible …. …. if Burgess and McIntosh are right, the scientific establishment has fallen. h#ps://www.theguardian.com/commen6sfree/2006/dec/27/post845 Richard Dawkins Dec 27th 2006 …. Not just slightly wrong but catastrophically, appallingly, devastatingly wrong. It is possible …. …. if Burgess and McIntosh are right, the scientific establishment has fallen.” h#ps://www.theguardian.com/commen6sfree/2006/dec/27/post845 The extraordinary design of the Bombardier Beetle Found in : Asia 2 cms North America 1-2 cms South America 1-2 cms Africa - approx 2-3 cms …. Europe 1 cm South of England 1 cm African Under rocks Bombardier Beetle Close to water Moveable exhaust It ejects a mixture of turret… This wards off chemically heated predators steam and noxious such as ants, chemicals out of its birds, spiders back end… and frogs. This is a separate system to its The beetle digestive tract. generally wins and stuns its opponent. Moveable In any exhaust direction! It ejects a mixture of turret… This wards off chemically heated predators steam and noxious such as ants, chemicals out of its birds, spiders back end… and frogs. This is a separate system to its The beetle digestive tract. generally wins and stuns its opponent. More versatile than a tank turret! Bombardier Beetle defence mechanism : From work of Professor Tom Eisner of Cornell University : Eisner, T and Aneshansley, D. J, “Spray aiming in the bombardier beetle: Photographic evidence”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 96, pp. 9705–9709, August 1999 From the film ‘Alien Empire’, BBC Professor Tom Eisner, Cornell University From the film ‘Secret Weapons’, BBC Bombardier Beetle – Pulse combustion par excellence. Approx Fuel-inlet valve opened 1mm at low pressure, closed at high pressure. Exhaust-outlet at high …..then finding of a sophisticated pressure……… pressure release valve at outlet V1 - Doodlebug Explosion Chamber of Bombardier Beetle Hydrogen Peroxide Hydroquinone C6H6O2 + H2O2 ➡ C6H4O2 + 2H2O Enzymes – Catalase and Peroxidase Catalytic combustion carefully timed “In fact the Hydroquinone does nothing REALLY?? at all. We can put that on one side … “ Richard Dawkins Christmas Royal Institution Childrens’ Lectures 1991 Chemical Reactions within Bombardier Beetle Catalysts Catalase and Peroxidase may be in crystalline form in fibres within the combustion chamber Chemical Reactions within Bombardier Beetle Aqueous solution of reactants is stored in a reservoir, and is composed of hydroquinone C6H6O2 at a concentration of 25% and hydrogen peroxide at concentration of 10% - Holoubek and Schildknecht Important steps C H O aq C H O aq H g -1 6 6 2 ( ) !!→ 6 4 2 ( )+ 2 ( ) ΔH2 = +177.232 Jmol 1 H 2O2 (aq) !!→ H 2O(l)+ 2 O2 (g) -1 ΔH3 = -94.5 Jmol H g 1 O g H O l -1 2 ( ) + 2 2 ( ) !!→ 2 ( ) ΔH4 = -285.5 J mol Overall Reaction -1 C6H6O2(aq) + H2O(aq) !!→ C6H4O2(aq) + 2H2O (l) ΔH1 = -202.8 Jmol Total heat release for one kilogram of solution is then 794.2 kJ/kg solution Chemical Reactions within Bombardier Beetle Aqueous solution of reactants is stored in a reservoir, and is composed of hydroquinone C6H6O2 at a concentration of 25% and hydrogen peroxide at concentration of 10% - Holoubek and Schildknecht Benzoquinone Important steps C H O aq C H O aq H g -1 6 6 2 ( ) !!→ 6 4 2 ( )+ 2 ( ) ΔH2 = +177.232 Jmol 1 H 2O2 (aq) !!→ H 2O(l)+ 2 O2 (g) -1 The reaction ΔH3 = -94.5 Jmol H g 1 O g H O l -1 Dawkins 2 ( ) + 2 2 ( ) !!→ 2 ( ) ΔH4 = -285.5 J mol missed! Overall Reaction Benzoquinone -1 C6H6O2(aq) + H2O(aq) !!→ C6H4O2(aq) + 2H2O (l) ΔH1 = -202.8 Jmol Total heat release for one kilogram of solution is then 794.2 kJ/kg solution And it is not simple to produce H2O2 ! Extremely narrow diameter tubes in which it is believed the chemicals C6H6O2 and H2O2 are made Combustion chamber. Valve system of Combustion Chambers Combustion chambers. Note the boxing glove like arrangement of the combustion chambers These pinch the inlet tubes under pressure “LIGHT BULB MOMENT!” Important discovery of two valve system Inlet and outlet valves End on view of Outlet Valve : Membrane Hard cuticle Closed Open Christine Ortiz at MIT using laser tomography has shown that both combustion chambers usually operate together. Twin carburettors! Mimicking the valve system… CFD modelling CFD used for modelling the Bombardier Beetle CFD used for modelling combustion chamber as the experimental rig a cylinder. 1.380 msecs Modelling using steam explosion Main cylinder held at 0.220mm 1.1 bar until release at time t = 0 secs. 1.1 bar is the saturation 0.307mm vapour pressure for vapour at 378K. 0.050mm The dividing membrane is then released. 0.120mm Laminar flow with zero slip boundary conditions at wall of nozzle outlet. Dimensions of main cylinder made so that volume is identical to Beetle combustion chamber. Modelling using steam explosion Ejected water and steam Steps of 0.060 msecs Steam volume fraction 0.180 msecs Ejected water and steam An experimental rig mimicking the valve system of the Bombardier Beetle First platform experimental rig built and tested to mimic the physics of the Bombardier Beetle chamber – approx 20 times the 1mm combustion chamber of the Beetle. An experimental rig mimicking the valve system of the Bombardier Beetle Vapour explosion First experimental rig in action with large droplets and near maximum mass ejection. Summary of what is known concerning the exhaust system of the Bombardier Beetle ● It has a sophisticated inlet and exhaust valve. ● It emits a mixture of water and steam under pressure. ● Mixed with the steam and water is a noxious quinone. ● The heating is by a chemical reaction involving hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone. ● It can direct the blast in any direction it wishes. ● It can blast at 400 - 500 times per sec. ● It can maintain a burst for about 2- 3 secs, and carry on doing many bursts… Summary of potential applications of the Bombardier Beetle technology ● It is an example of pulsing (oscillating) combustion in nature ● It is a classic example of biomimetics ● The core technology copied is the combustion chamber design (valves) and the nozzle ● There are applications to a number of areas including : Nebulisers – (Aqueous and Organic), Fire extinguishers, Fuel Injector Aerosols and air fresheners The extraordinary aiming and throw of the bombardier beetle spray.
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