_MNL_72-2013.pdf

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataThe practice of flash point determination/Rey Montemayor,editor.pages cm“ASTM Stock Number:MNL72.”Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-0-8031-7040-7(alk.paper)1.Flash point(Thermodynamics)Handbooks,manuals,etc.2.Flammable liquidsHandbooks,manuals,etc.I.Montemayor,Rey G.,1944TP361.P73 2013621.4021dc232013014517Copyright 2013 ASTM International,West Conshohocken,PA.All rights reserved.This material may not be repro-duced or copied,in whole or in part,in any printed,mechanical,electronic,film,or other distribution and storagemedia,without the written consent of the publisher.Photocopy RightsAuthorization to photocopy items for internal,personal,or educational classroom use of specific clients,is granted byASTM International provided that the appropriate fee is paid to ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO BoxC700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959,Tel:610-832-9634;online:http:/www.astm.org/copyright/ASTM International is not responsible,as a body,for the statements and opinions advanced in the publication.ASTMInternational does not endorse any products represented in this publication.Printed in Eagan,MN,July 2013iiForewordThis manual is sponsored by the Flammability Section of ASTM Subcommittee D02.08 of ASTM Committee D02 onPetroleum Products and Lubricants.Ed White volunteered to write the manual and with the help,advice,and input ofa Technical Advisory and Resource Group(TARG),comprised of individuals knowledgeable in flash point determina-tion.TARG consisted of Bud Nesvig,Michael Collier,Michael Sherratt,Susan Litka,Didier Pigeon,Roland Ashauer,Katsuhiko Shimodaira,Thomas Herold,Volkmar Wierzbicki,Len Wachel,Michael Palmer,Alex Lau,and Rey Monte-mayor.Sincere acknowledgment and gratitude are due to these individuals for making possible the publication of thismanual.Unfortunately,before the peer review process was completed,Ed passed away unexpectedly.Kathy Dernoga of theASTM books and journals staff asked me to revise the manuscript to address recommendations from the reviewers andput the final touches on the manuscript.Special thanks are due to Kathy Dernoga and Monica Siperko who providedneeded help in the publication process.I am certain that Ed would like to acknowledge and give thanks to his wife,Natalie,for her support and encour-agement while writing the manual.It is unfortunate that Ed would not see the fruit of his tremendous effort.We oweEd White a lot,and hopefully his intent in writing the manual is realized.Rey G.Montemayor,Ph.D.September 25,2012iiiContentsChapter 1Introduction.1Chapter 2The Significance and Current Use of Flash Point Test Methods.5Chapter 3Explanation and Definition of Terms.17Chapter 4Flash Point Apparatus and Auxiliary Equipment.21Chapter 5Sampling and Test Specimens.35Chapter 6Getting Ready and Staying Ready:Preparation,Verification,and Maintenance of Apparatus.43Chapter 7Procedures,Corrections,and Reporting.51Chapter 8Precision of Flash Point Test Methods.59Chapter 9Flash Point Relationships.67Appendix 1Flash Point Apparatus.73Appendix 2The Pioneers of Flash Point Technology.77Appendix 3English Language Standards for Flash Point Determination.79Appendix 4English Language Standards for Flash/No-Flash Determinations.83Appendix 5Flash Point Methods in ASTM Committee D02 Specifications.85Index.89v1IntroductionGENERALThe concept of flash point was developed in the mid-nineteenth century in response to a spate of fires resultingfrom the sale of contaminated kerosine or the mishandlingof combustible liquids.Flash point is the lowest temperatureof a liquid at which sufficient vapor is generated to create aflammable mixture with air in the presence of an ignitionsource.Thus,in comparing two combustible liquids,the onewith the lower flash point would tend to be the one that ismore likely to form a flammable concentration in air and isthus considered the more dangerous of the two.Because theactual flash point is dependent upon the apparatus and pro-cedure used in its measurement,liquids to be comparedmust be evaluated using the same apparatus and procedure.This manual will compare commonly used flash point appa-ratus and procedures in current use and will provide generalguidance in the use and interpretation of standard flashpoint methods.A BIT OF HISTORY 13As the middle of the nineteenth century approached,man-kind had been dependent for many millennia on the com-bustion of natural products to provide light during the nighthours.Candles made from a variety of natural waxes andwick lamps burning various animal and vegetable oils,fats,and greases had evolved.By the seventeenth century,theBetty lamp,consisting of a metal bowl containing oil(suchas fish oil)and of a wick lying in a slot and protruding fromthe side of the bowl,was in common use.Many of the natural fats and oils tended to producesmoky flames with little illumination.The whaling industryhad developed in part from the search for better illuminat-ing oil