Argh. Sorry, braino - should have typed "iron powder", not "iron oxide powder". The energy comes from the rapid oxidation of Mg by water, giving magnesium hydroxide and hydrogen as products (the iron and salt are there to increase the rate of the reaction).
Given that the heaters give off hydrogen gas, it should come as no surprise that, if you type "mre heater" into Google, one of the suggestions you're given is "mre heater bomb".
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Date: 2011-10-12 12:00 pm (UTC)Given that the heaters give off hydrogen gas, it should come as no surprise that, if you type "mre heater" into Google, one of the suggestions you're given is "mre heater bomb".