Cafe Explosion UK

[TelephoneAngel]

Breaking News1:51pm UK, Tuesday September 14, 2010

Coffee Machine Explosion In Sainsbury's Store

Seventeen people have been injured after a coffee machine exploded at a Sainsbury's supermarket in Hampshire.The blast involved an industrial machine in the cafe at the store in the Kingsmead Shopping Centre in Farnborough.



Apparently the injuries were minor, but what an unusual thing to happen!

[lordlundar]

Well, if it's an espresso machine, then it makes more sense. Those require forcing water through the coffee puck at 7 bars of pressure (equivalent o just over 100psi), so if there's a structural weakness, an explosion isn't all that surprising.

[PepperElf]

talk about getting a morning jolt...

[Chromatix]

Also, there's a reason why boilers have to be certified. If pressure is suddenly released, the superheated water left behind flashes into *more* steam. So even a fairly small boiler can make a very large bang (and lots of shrapnel).

ETA: found a photo on BBC News - looks very much like a boiler explosion. The boiler in a coffee machine is relatively small and, at 100psi, is storing a relatively small amount of energy. Larger boilers at higher pressures can have considerably more serious effects.