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The new promoted ignition combustion test apparatus at BAM matches the requirements of ASTM test method G 124 [ASTM G 124, Standard Test Method for Determining the Combustion Behavior of Metallic Materials in Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres, 2003] and of EIGA publication, IGC Doc 13/02/E [EIGA Gas Association Document IGC Doc 13/02/E, Oxygen Pipeline Systems, 2003]. The test apparatus is most likely the only one in Europe. The test chamber allows investigations with pure oxygen or oxygen mixtures at pressures up to 500 bar and at temperatures up to 400°C at static or flowing gas conditions. The ignition device consists of an electrical ignition wire and a promoter. IR-sensors, distributed over the whole length of the rod, measure and record the burning temperature and allow measurement of the burn rate. A video system records the experiment for visual characterization of the burning behavior. BAM test results are compared with published data. Results on investigations with coated rods are presented. Ceramic coatings seem to be a solution for the use of certain less compatible metallic materials at higher oxygen pressures.
Two different test apparatuses are used at BAM to evaluate the safety of oxygen components: First, the promoted ignition combustion test according to ASTM G 124 [1] and to EIGA IGC Doc 13/02/E [2], and second, the new metallic disk ignition test that has not been standardized yet. The standard test method ASTM G 124 allows a ranking of metallic materials for use at high pressure oxygen. However, the transfer of those test results to valves and fittings in real-life situations is rather complex. The metallic disk ignition test, developed at BAM, is more practice oriented and uses metallic disks of different thicknesses of the investigated material. A commonly used nonmetallic sealing ring is placed in front of this disk and serves as an igniter. This test array is then exposed to high pressure gaseous oxygen impacts in a standardized pneumatic impact tester according to DIN EN 1797 [3].
In oxygen components, even for high pressure oxygen service, it is possible to use organic seals, lubricants, or filling liquids, provided their oxygen compatibility has been checked. However, fire incidents in oxygen systems still occur because these materials ignite and burn. There are many reasons, such as incorrect design, contamination, faulty operation, unsuitable materials, etc., why this happens. Another cause that is overseen very often is proper maintenance on the user´s side. It is very important to replace in a component a worn out seal by the same one with identical oxygen compatibility properties. On the part of the producer or distributor of materials, batch testing and also a quality assurance system play a key role in the safety of an oxygen component. Any change in the manufacturing process of a material, or in its composition, and even its further processing may have an impact on its oxygen compatibility and finally on the component in which it is used. Numerous investigations by BAM over decades reveal the influence of minor constituents and fillers on a material´s oxygen compatibility. The test results in this paper show how important it is to regularly perform batch testing on nonmetallic materials used for oxygen service and to have a quality assurance system that helps minimize incidents where unsuitable materials are chosen by accident.
Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) divers use different mixtures of nitrogen and oxygen as breathing gas. The so-called NITROX mixture often contains more oxygen than is contained in air and may increase the fire hazard in diving equipment. The SCUBA diving community, however, still differentiates between NITROX mixtures that contain more than 40 % oxygen or less. They consider a mixture with up to 40 % oxygen often as regular air. In filling operations of SCUBA cylinders, gas flows from high pressure to low pressure. Because of compressive heating, a sudden temperature rise in the gas occurs and nonmetallic materials, e.g., seals may ignite. BAM has used the pneumatic impact test to investigate the ignition sensitivity of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), fluorelastomer (FPM), polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and nylon (PA 6.6) to gaseous impacts in synthetic air, in various NITROX mixtures, and in pure oxygen. The test results clearly show that for nonmetallic materials, the maximum pressure of nonreaction in NITROX mixtures decreases at a content of 29 % oxygen in comparison to those in air. In addition, autoignition temperatures of the nonmetallic materials were also determined. The findings of this investigation support very well the results of other publications on oxygen enrichment. As a consequence of this study, in SCUBA diving, the same safety requirements for NITROX mixtures with more than 21 % oxygen should be applied as for pure oxygen in the industry.