We wrote earlier this year about the discovery of a new type of fire whirl – the blue whirl – but now the authors have published video of the blue whirl in action! The blue whirl was discovered while investigating the use of fire whirls to more efficiently burn off oil spilled atop water. A tightly spinning yellow fire whirl produces less soot than a non-vortex burn; the blue whirl is even more efficient, producing little to no soot at all. Much remains to be learned about this new type of fire vortex, but in the meantime, enjoy some high-speed video of the blue whirl, particularly from 1:50 onward. (Video credit: M. Gollner et al.)
The Blue Whirl
