Laboratory Testing of Flammable Materials

Test Laboratory

Many industrial processes include combustible materials in the form of liquids, vapours, mists, gasses, dusts, fibres and/or flyings. Fiditas experts provide solutions to potential problems that can occur during technological treatment of such hazardous materials. This technological treatment may involve different operations, such as transport, storage, handling, mixing, or unique patented industrial methods, all of which can generate explosive atmospheres which may explode in the presence of the ignition source.

Any such explosion may cause huge human losses and devastate facilities and surroundings, having potential hazardous effect to the environment. Companies operating hazardous materials are exposed to additional risks, involving the negative publicity and the loss of production, not to mention individual responsibilities of the managing personnel.    

Combustible materials can normally be found in gas distribution, petroleum refining and distribution, petrochemical, defense, wastewater, pharmaceutical, mining, food, grain, printing, research and test facilities, cement production, off shore rigs, petrol filling stations, chemical industry, shipyards, furniture production as well as in a variety of specialist manufacturing and processing plants.

To avoid unwanted scenarios there is essential need to apply effective safety measures. Such safety measures are identified in the process of Explosion Risk Assessment, as defined in Directive 1999/92/EC, also known as ATEX 153 (or DSEAR in UK). Explosion Risk Assessment requires deep understanding of several international and national safety standards and codes, industrial guides and rules and competency in different fields of science, including fluid dynamics, finite elements methods, computer aided design… Experience of person performing the Explosion Risk Assessment is another key element to achieve reliable results and define effective explosion safety solutions.

Reliable and effective explosion safety solutions cannot be obtained if physical and chemical properties of combustible materials are not known. Fiditas provides  integrated set  of laboratory tests performed on combustible materials in compliance with current editions of international standards. This integrated set of tests includes determination of a full spectrum of material properties which allows us to define its flammability and explosiveness. By understanding and adopting process improvement and lean principles, Fiditas laboratory achieves more efficient workflows by eliminating steps, reducing waste, and producing higher reliability results more quickly than ever before.

Fiditas laboratory is capable to perform tests in order to obtain following material properties (current standard editions used):

Gas and vapor testing
Determination of maximum explosion pressure pmax
and the maximum rate of explosion pressure rise (dp/dt)max of gases and vapors
EN 15967
Determination of the explosion limits and the limiting oxygen concentration (LOC) for flammable gases and vapoursEN 1839
Determination of the auto ignition temperature of gases and vapoursEN 14522
Dust’s testing
Characterization of sample (moisture content and granulometry). Preparation of sample (grinding, drying, vacuum drying, humidifying)
Combustible dusts and combustible flying’s determinationISO/IEC 80079-20-2 (visual inspection, test in a Hartmann tube with a spark, test in a Hartmann tube with a hot coil ignition source,
ignition test in the 20-litre sphere, G-G oven at 1000oC)
Minimum ignition energy of dust/air mixtures (MIE)ISO/IEC 80079-20-2, EN 13821, ASTM E2019, VDI 2263
Minimum ignition temperature of a dust cloud (MIT of a dust cloud)ISO/IEC 80079-20-2, EN 50281-2, ASTM E2021,
VDI 2263
Minimum ignition temperature of a dust layer (MIT of a dust layer)ISO/IEC 80079-20-2, EN 50281-2, ASTM E1491,
VDI 2263
Maximum explosion pressure pmax of dust clouds  EN 14034-1, ASTM E1226, VDI 2263
Maximum rate of explosion pressure rise (dp/dt)max of dust cloudsEN 14034-2, ASTM E1226, VDI 2263
Lower explosion limit LEL of dust cloudsEN 14034-3, ASTM E1515, VDI 2263
Limiting oxygen concentration LOC of dust cloudsEN 14034-4, VDI 2263
Electrical resistivity of dustISO/IEC 80079-20-2
Determination of burning behavior of dust layers (The Burning Rate test is used to classify materials as “flammable solids” – CLASS 4, division 4.1 UN)EN 17077
Hybrid mixtures
Testing: MIE, pmax  and (dp/dt)max, LEL, LOC
Tests in the simulation of real technological conditions: tests at different proportions of individual substances,
different temperatures and pressures, etc.
Custom testing
Fiditas Laboratory can adjust its tests according to the customer’s request or conditions in the customer’s process (tests at elevated temperature, pressure, …)
Sintered metal testing
Determination of bubble test pore sizeEN 24003, ISO 4003
Determination of densityEN ISO 2738
Determination of fluid permeabilityEN ISO 4022

You can see the accredited FIDITAS laboratory test methods at the following link