World Showcase Lagoon and fireworks.

[skyhawk8519]

So I've been wondering. After years and years of fireworks being shot off from
EPCOT, what happens to the shell casings? Is the lagoon dredged from all the paper byproduct? I know our local park after their small displays has a number of "chunks" of shell casings, what happens here? Thanks all

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

They will most likely burn out in the air and leave nothing but dust. These are professional pyro technics not like bottle rockets where the stick and the shell stay in tact. When the wind is blowing your way you can see what the shells turn to, sometimes get pelted with it in the face. Its nothing but ash and after that it just dissolves. The lakes are also filtered.

 

[ABigBrassBand]

I remember hearing about them having a system so they didn't have to clean up the shells afterwards, but I forget whether that's true or not.

 

[skyhawk8519]

They will most likely burn out in the air and leave nothing but dust. These are professional pyro technics not like bottle rockets where the stick and the shell stay in tact. When the wind is blowing your way you can see what the shells turn to, sometimes get pelted with it in the face. Its nothing but ash and after that it just dissolves. The lakes are also filtered.

No, to clarify, the "small" displays at our community park are pretty big, they just happen once a year. You will find half she casings, chunks of shell etc. They are not going to burn up. Believe me there are remains!

 

[D. F. Duck]

A good chunk of the casings are from the launching mechanism. Disney uses air cannons to launch theirs, so there's considerably-less unburned material leftover.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

No, to clarify, the "small" displays at our community park are pretty big, they just happen once a year. You will find half she casings, chunks of shell etc. They are not going to burn up. Believe me there are remains!

Epcot uses an air launch system on their barges so the launch shells that stick out of the bottom arrant needed. Those launch shells will not burn out in the air. They are hard and they are fireproof and they make a mess. They might be using those at the park. If you noticed before the launch system they didn't send to many in the air, they exploded them right off the barge. The ones that shot in the air had those big launch tails.

 

[Rob562]

Epcot uses an air launch system on their barges so the launch shells that stick out of the bottom arrant needed. Those launch shells will not burn out in the air. They are hard and they are fireproof and they make a mess. They might be using those at the park. If you noticed before the launch system they didn't send to many in the air, they exploded them right off the barge. The ones that shot in the air had those big launch tails.

Not quite correct...

Disneyland uses the air-launch system for most (if not all) of their pyro, due to California air quality regulations.

Reflections of Earth only has three shells that are air-launched: the opening comet from America Gardens and the two accompanying starbursts that are launched from the dock in the center of the lagoon. (These two were originally launched from the Inferno Barge before the mis-fire incident a few years ago)

All other shells are your standard black-powder-charge pyro shells. The aerials have a lift-charge that launches them into the air, the water-level ones do not. The shells that explode in the air are encased in a thick paper-based cardboard-like material. A lot of it burns up in the explosion, but some of the shell does survive and flutters down to the water. There's also the ash/fallout from the burnt pyro material that comes down.
All of this goes into the water.

If you want to know what this debris can look like:

This was the remains of a shell that fluttered down and bonked my friend in the leg during Holiday Wishes on a particularly windy night as we stood watching from the Tomorrowland bridge about 5 years ago.

Whether this debris is routinely cleaned up, I don't know. I also don't know whether it floats or sinks. But one thing is for sure....I wouldn't want to go swimming in that water...

-Rob

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Really... Well they should use all air launch. Its better for the environment, better for the lake and probably better reliability and performance. I thought they were all air launched. Now I am wondering where the shells go. I never see them hit the lake but I do get hit by small debris very often and I did see a duck get slaughtered by one of the perimeter launchers at Epcot. I am surprised they dont get in trouble for the flying debris. I think its pretty cool for some weird reason. One time I was lighting up my back yard and the shells covered my neighbors yard.

 

[WDW Monorail]

Really... Well they should use all air launch. Its better for the environment, better for the lake and probably better reliability and performance. I thought they were all air launched. Now I am wondering where the shells go. I never see them hit the lake but I do get hit by small debris very often and I did see a duck get slaughtered by one of the perimeter launchers at Epcot. I am surprised they dont get in trouble for the flying debris. I think its pretty cool for some weird reason. One time I was lighting up my back yard and the shells covered my neighbors yard.

It wouldn't make a difference if air was used instead of black powder. The shell goes in the air, breaks and whatever's left comes back down. The paper might dissolve in the water, the rest either just sinks if it is dense enough. Sometimes, a shell doesn't break and drops right back down in to the water.

It's just not practical to put an air launch ystem on small barges that need to be moved in and out of the lagoon on a daily basis. The Inferno Barge was one thing, but even now, the particular shells launched from the Inferno Barge have been moved to the center slip.
It would be extremely expensive and decreases space/capacity on the barges. It really has no benefits aside from the element of surprise of a comet that appears out of nowhere and suddenly "explodes".

The only reason why it's done in California is because of stricter atmospheric condition regulations.


Better reliability is not necessarily true either. An air launched shell has to have 2 electronic matches fastened to its time delay fuse. In case one match doesn't light it, the other should. The shell will launch regardless if the fuse is lit or not since they are independently controlled. This problem is avoided for Epcot's 2 ALF systems since chips are used to detonate the break charge but plagues DL's shows since they can no longer use chips.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

It wouldn't make a difference if air was used instead of black powder. The shell goes in the air, breaks and whatever's left comes back down. The paper might dissolve in the water, the rest either just sinks if it is dense enough. Sometimes, a shell doesn't break and drops right back down in to the water.

It's just not practical to put an air launch ystem on small barges that need to be moved in and out of the lagoon on a daily basis. The Inferno Barge was one thing, but even now, the particular shells launched from the Inferno Barge have been moved to the center slip.
It would be extremely expensive and decreases space/capacity on the barges. It really has no benefits aside from the element of surprise of a comet that appears out of nowhere and suddenly "explodes".

The only reason why it's done in California is because of stricter atmospheric condition regulations.


Better reliability is not necessarily true either. An air launched shell has to have 2 electronic matches fastened to its time delay fuse. In case one match doesn't light it, the other should. The shell will launch regardless if the fuse is lit or not since they are independently controlled. This problem is avoided for Epcot's 2 ALF systems since chips are used to detonate the break charge but plagues DL's shows since they can no longer use chips.

Its a good thing they use air launch or we wouldn't see the lasers. I know this is off subject but how long do you thing those barges are going to stick around. Those barges have Epcot Center written all over them LOL?