Abstract
The principal application of autoignition temperature (AIT) is to define the maximum acceptable surface temperature in a particular area, usually for electrical classification purpose. AIT is an important variable used to characterize the fire and explosion hazard of liquids and must be known for safe handling, storage, and transportation. The measurement of AIT is defined in test methods that are maintained by standardization bodies such as the Energy Institute in the UK, ASTM in the USA, CEN in Europe and ISO internationally. This paper describes measurement on AIT of Met-OH and Et-OH Binary Mixtures. We explored effects of flask material, ambient temperature, and ambient humidity on the measured AIT of ethanol using the EN 14522:2005 and ASTM E659-78:2005 methods. Results reveal that immiscibility in the two liquid phases could be ignored in the measuring of AIT. Potential application for the results concerns the assessment of fire and explosion hazards for chemical processes containing binary immiscible mixtures of Met-OH and Et-OH system.
