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The presentation will discuss the difference between EU and US standards for the determination of explosion (flammability) limits and limiting oxygen concentration. Small differences observed in measured values can be traced back to the different test apparatuses and criteria. The discrepancies can be much greater in the case of limiting oxygen concentration because of the high amount of inert gases and the corresponding low laminar burning velocities. The paper describes some examples and the influence of the chosen criteria on the results. The European and US standards use the criteria of flame propagation in open test vessels and of pressure rise in closed ones. The examples discussed show that flame propagation is still possible at very small pressure rise values, as observed much below the pressure rise criterion of usual standards. However, flame propagation in a process plant can cause an accident or explosion and must be avoided. Therefore, the flame propagation criterion is recommended to be used in chemical safety engineering. The European safety database CHEMSAFE contains expert-evaluated safety data for cases where the determination method and criteria are known. Flammability characteristics based on the pressure rise criterion may suffice in certain cases, e.g. for explosion protection in closed vessels without any connecting pipes.
Carbon black, multiwall carbon nanotubes, expanded graphite, multilayer graphene and graphene are compared comprehensively as flame retardants in nanocomposites to each other. Different polymer matrices are investigated as well as changing the concentration of the carbon fillers. Distinct combinations of graphene with conventional flame retardants are investigated. Phenomena and mechanisms are identified controlling the pyrolysis and fire behavior. The viscosity of the nanocomposites and their thermal conductivity as well are dramatically changed compared to the polymers influencing the time to ignition and flammability. During pyrolysis graphene functioned as inert filler and formed a residual protective layer reducing the peak heat release rate.
The influence of graphene on the effectivity of various conventional halogen-free flame retardants depends strongly on their modes of action. The addition of a small amount of graphene to an intumescent flame retardant poly(propylene) led to an improvement in the cone calorimeter. The further increase of graphene content gained deceleration of swelling and a decrease of the final height of the intumescent layer. In combination with metal hydroxide, 1 wt% graphene closed the macroscopic surface structure and densified the microscopic structure of the fire residues tremendously. Due to this improved residue structure, metal hydroxides and graphene showed synergistic cooperation in terms of oxygen index and UL 94 classification (HB/V-1 to V-0).
Melt flow and dripping of polymeric materials can be both beneficial and detrimental during fire. In the vertical UL 94 test, a well adjusted dripping behaviour of flame retarded polypropylene (PP-FR) resulted in a non-flaming dripping V-0 classification. Melt flow and dripping reduce flame spread and even result in extinction, as mass and heat are removed from the actual pyrolysis zone. For the polymer samples and their drops collected in UL 94, the decomposition and viscosity was investigated. Particle finite element method (PFEM) was successfully used to simulate the material behaviour in the UL 94 test. The competition between gasification, combustion and melt dripping is evaluated.
The fire behaviour of carbon fibre (CF) reinforced polymers differs in comparison to polymers. Fibres behave often inert with respect to pyrolysis, they change the melt flow and dripping behaviour, the heat absorption and transfer, the amount and properties of the fire residue and so on. Flame and fire retardancy concepts are needed not only suitable for the different fire protection goals typical for each application, but also tailored for composites. This field is illuminated by examples taken from different projects carried out in the group of the author in the recent years. The examples target on different applications through achieving reduction in reaction to fire controlling the fire risks (flammability, heat release) in the beginning and development of a fire and investigating the fire stability, when a severe flame is directly applied (key property in fully developed fires). Approaches to halogen-free flame retardancy in CF reinforced thermosets are presented as well as building up a bench and an intermediate scale testing of composites in fire applying mechanical load (up to 1 MN compression) and direct flame exposure (180 kW/m2) simultaneously. Indeed, e.g. we have investigated the fire stability of stringer reinforced shell components taken out from the fuselage of an aircraft.
The understanding of fire behaviour, fire resistance, and fire retardant modes of action in composites is a promising basis for target-oriented development. The role of flame inhibition, charring, and protective layer formation is discussed. Successful concepts are presented for fire retardancy tailored for different application as well as general guidelines for future development. Different phosphorus flame retardants are proposed to achieve halogen-free flame retardancy with respect to ignition and developing fires. Different protective approaches are sketched for addressing the fire stability of composites that is the most important fire risk for the fire resistance in structural applications.
Thermoplastic starch polymer blends as biodegradable materials are well known and used mainly as packaging material. In order to exploit new application fields for these materials, additional properties such as flame retardancy or increased mechanical strength are required. This work focuses on the flammability and fire behavior of a thermoplastic starch/polyester blend reinforced with natural fibers derived from Mexican industry processes wastes, such as keratin fibers from the tannery industry or coconut fibers[1]. Different fiber contents as well as combinations of varying contents of aluminum trihydroxide, expandable graphite or ammonium polyphosphate were tested in LOI, UL94, cone calorimeter and TG-FTIR in order to investigate and assess the concentration dependence of the fibers and flame retardants as well as synergistic effects between both components. In combination with ammonium polyphosphate, the coconut fibers induce a synergistic effect by reinforcing the char residue and creating a more stable heat barrier during forced flaming combustion in the cone calorimeter. Synergism is also observed in the oxygen test. The recycling of otherwise wasted material is a true challenge in material development, thus this work is a first step in the direction of sustainable and biodegradable materials.
The individual and collective impacts of additives in melt dripping behaviour were studied under UL 94 vertical test conditions. A set of polyamide 6 (PA6) based materials compounded with melamine cyanurate (MCA) – a ˝dripping agent˝ – and glass fibre (GF) – a ˝non-dripping agent˝ - was investigated in detail. Dripping quantification was carried out during first and second ignition. The materials and their drops were investigated with respect to thermal decomposition, melt viscosity, and others properties. PA6 with V-2 classification improves to V-0 when MCA is added; and is worsened to HB in presence of glass fibre. Together, PA6/GF/MCA achieved V-2. The non-flaming drops of PA6/MCA are formed by oligomeric fragments. The flaming drops of PA6/GF contain a high amount of glass fibre. The dripping behaviour of PA6/GF/MCA under fire is a complex response of the specimen, but not explained by an easy superposition of the materials’ properties. The dripping behaviour is influenced by the interaction and concurrence of the different phenomena.
This paper is based mainly on the results of two different projects performed in the group of the author recently (2016-2019). The three external partners involved in these two projects are competent in the preparation of FPUF (ICL IP America), RPUF (Department of Industrial Engineering, Padova University), and TPU (Fraunhofer-Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit und Systemzuverlässigkeit LBF, Darmstadt) as well as for the specimen preparation. Systematically varied sets of materials were prepared as the key basic for scientific discussion, varying the kind and combination of flame retardant, PUR structure, density, and blowing agent.
A multimethodical approach based on thermogravimetry (TGA), TGA coupled with evolved gas analysis (TGA-FTIR) and pyrolysis GC-MS was used for investigating the pyrolysis. The flammability was addressed using oxygen index (OI) and testing in UL 94 burning chamber in vertical and horizontal set-up. The fire behaviour was addressed by using a cone calorimeter. Beyond these methods according to the state of the art, key experiments were performed. We addressed the dripping and the two-stage burning of TPU using a self-designed apparatus and specific data evaluation, the foam burning through quenching burning samples, using different special sample holders, and measuring temperature profiles within the burning foams. The investigation is made round by intensive analysis of the fire residues, such as comprehensive investigation of the morphology.
Result on the pyrolysis (TGA-FTIR, Pyrolysis-GC/MS), flammability (UL 94, LOI), and fire behaviour (cone calorimeter) of TPU and flame retardant TPUs are shown. We discuss in detail the characteristic of PUR decomposition: the low tendency to char, and the specific two step decomposition and how these characteristics control the regimes in fire behaviour. We demonstrate that the different burning regimes are controlled by different pyrolysis products and effective heat of combustions. The resulting formation of pool fires as well as the formation of dripping is discussed in detail. The latter quite important to understand the flame retardancy applied with respect to achieve the UL 94 classification V0 nondripping or V0 non-flaming dripping.
Rigid and flexible PUR foams and their flame retarded versions are investigated for different densities. Water and pentane-blown foams are compared as well as PUR and polyisocyanurate-polyurethane (PIR) foams. Horizontal testing in the cone calorimeter is used and the vertical foam specimen holder as well. Self-designed set-ups within the cone calorimeter enable a better inside in the pyrolysis front running through the foam samples as well as the development of the temperature gradient inside the foam during the fire test. The morphology change during burning was characterised by the means of quenching burning foams with liquid nitrogen and investigating the cross sections with scanning electron microscope. In sum, a rather comprehensive study was performed to work out the principle fire phenomena controlling the fire behaviour of PUR foams in a very systematic and significant way.
Promising flame retardancy approaches are discussed. The importance of either combining the drain of fuel and flame inhibition or charring into an effective protection layer/multicellular structure is underlined.
This contribution focusses the general conclusions and trends. It tries to increase the understanding of the specific and demanding challenge to develop flame retardant PUR materials.
Nowadays, various polymeric materials are used in E&E applications with sufficient flame retardance by adding rather different flame retardants. It doesn’t matter whether cables are used outdoor or are installed indoor as building products, the weathering exposures such as UV radiation, humidity and variation in temperature occur and influence the flame-retardant property. Recently, the lifetime of the flame retardance itself becomes an increasingly important factor. In this work, several devices were used to perform accelerated artificial ageing simulating different environment exposures.
The comprehensive and global understanding of the durability of flame retardance in dependence on the weathering or ageing conditions is still a matter of discussion. Therefore, the weathering resistance of various halogen-free fire-retarded polymers was investigated in this work. Polymeric systems with different kinds of fire retardants were chosen, including various fire retardant mechanisms. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) blends with high amounts of inorganic flame retardant such as aluminum hydroxide (ATH), boehmite and synergists, which mainly dilutes the polymer resin work as heat sink and cooling agent, and enhance residue formation was examined. Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) was modified with melamine cyanurate (MC), which mainly acts by changed melt flow and dripping behavior as well as fuel dilution. Additionally, aluminum diethylphosphinate and boehmite are induced as assistant flame retardant. Furthermore, glass fiber reinforced Polyamide 66 (PA) was investigated containing different kinds of aluminum diethylphosphinate based flame retardant mixtures, which acts by flame inhibition and additional char formation.
The degradation of the surface was analyzed after the different weathering conditions. Most of the specimens exhibited an intensive material degradation at the top surface accompanied by a distinct discoloration, e.g. getting darker or showing yellowing. The weathering of the EVA samples lead to numerous cracks (already) after 4000 h. The corresponding changes in the chemical structure was investigated by ATR FT-IR for all materials.
The flammability was investigated by cone calorimeter, UL-94 burning chamber, and oxygen index (LOI) using plate and bar specimens. The flame retardance of most of the materials studied degrades only slightly or were rather stable for the investigated exposure times. Interestingly, also some opposite results were found. EVA modified by different inorganic flame retardants such as ATH achieved higher LOI after exposing in the humidity chamber and the accelerated oxidation under water in the autoclaves. It is suggested that the particle size of ATH and boehmite plays an important role, when these flame retardants agglomerate at the surface during accelerated weathering.
Both materials, EVA and TPU, were also investigated as cable jackets. While EVA modified with inorganic flame retardants exhibits low-smoke and non-dripping fire behavior, TPU flame-retarded with MC yields cables with pronounced melt-dripping. Cone calorimeter tests were carried out using cable rafts of the size of 100 mm * 100 mm as well as our self-made cable module test, which simulates the vertical full-scale test of a bundle of cables at the bench-scale. Both methods were used to investigate the weathering resistance of the flame retardance in cables. The results of the cable module test for the flame-retarded EVA cables were only slightly affected even when a long time hydrothermal ageing was carried out. This is because of inorganic residue which just delays the fire growth but does not extinguish. However, for the flame-retarded TPU cable jackets, the cable module test exhibited an accelerated fire spread and a melt-dripping behavior which was promoted by weathering exposure.
Ammonia Safety
(2023)
Ammonia is an energy source that has been produced and used on a large scale for many decades, primarily as a fertilizer or feedstock in nitrogen chemistry. The CAMPFIRE alliance, founded as part of the "WIR!- Wandel durch Innovation in der Region" funding program of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), aims to research and develop new energy conversion and storage technologies for the future energy system based on green ammonia. The safe handling of ammonia is an important issue along the entire value chain. Therefore, the alliance has organized a webinar to discuss the topic of ammonia safety and in particular its flammability. BAM's contribution presented the topic of flammability in detail, placed the classification of ammonia in an international, European and national context and presented the basic principles of explosion protection that result from this and must be observed during use and application.