Minimum Ignition Energy

MCA Annual Seminar – 2016

Savannah, Georgia
Gregory Grondin
 History of MIE
• Origin of the research of MIE began in 1910 by the US Bureau
of Mines.

• Bureau of Mines was founded by Congress to conduct research

and collect information concerning every aspect of the mining
trade.

• Primary focus was on methane

• Lewis and von Elbe are credited with the introduction of a test
method to determine MIE
 Lewis and von Elbe
• “It is possible to pass small electric sparks through
an explosive gas without producing ignition. When
the spark energy is increased, a threshold energy is
eventually obtained at which the spark becomes
incendiary in the sense that a combustion waved
propagates from the spark through the volume of
gas”

• This was the defining criteria for MIE and the

understanding of ignition kernel formation
 MIE Definition
• The minimum energy that can ignite a mixture of a
flammable material mixed with air or oxygen,
measured by a standard procedure

• The minimum energy of an ignition source, such as a

spark, required to ignite vapors or dusts

• The minimum energy required to establish the flame

kernel of the minimum critical size for subsequent self-
sustained flame propagation
 Ignition Kernel
• An electric spark establishes a small volume of hot gas
immediately after spark discharge. The temperature
within the flame kernel increases rapidly. As the kernel
grows in size it is cooled by the ambient/adjacent
unburned gas/vapor and the combustion wave
dissipates
– Need adequate energy in the spark to generate a kernel of
sufficient size for sustained combustion
– Need enough ions to sustain combustion
– Analogy – flash point and fire point
– This energy is measured in millijoules (mJ)
Ignition Kernel
 Joule Definition
• It is the energy dissipated as heat when an electric
current of one ampere passes through a resistance
of one ohm for one second.
– Note that this energy source is electrical

• MIE “rule of thumb” for flammable vapors is .025mJ

– A small coin dropped from a height of less than 1 mm
has more energy
– A spark that is detectable to the touch is about 20 mJ
 Spark Gap/Quenching Distance
• Lewis and von Elbe understood that there were important
variables when determining the MIE

• Spark Gap - Typically slightly greater distance than the

quenching distance. If the spark gap is less than the
quenching distance then the electrodes act as a heat sink for
the flame kernel and cause inaccurate results.

• Quenching Distance - Minimum distance between electrodes

which allows optimal ignition with minimal energy loss.
MIE Test Apparatus
•Fuel is vaporized, injected
into test chamber so
volume is in middle of
flammable range and
ignited using an electric arc

•Spark duration and energy

are measured

•Chamber pressure rise will

indicate a combustion
reaction

•Very similar but smaller

apparatus and theory to the
20L or 1 M3 test chamber
that determines if dusts are
combustible
Combustible Dust Test Chambers

•20 L test results can be misleading

- ST 1 dusts with Kst less than 50 can produce a
false positive indication in a 20L test chamber
- Test anomaly is called “overdriving”
- Igniters cause the pressure increase, not the dust
- Solution, use a 1M3 test chamber
 MIE of Common Chemicals
CHEMICAL MIE (mJ) CHEMICAL MIE (mJ)
ACETONE 1.15 ALUMINUM 50
ACETYLENE .017 CHARCOAL 20
ACROLEIN .13 COAL 250
ACRYLONITRILE .16 CORN MEAL 40
BENZENE .2 MANGANESE 305
BUTANE .25 SUGAR 30
CS2 .009 TITANIUM 40
GASOLINE .8 WOOD BARK 40-60
HYDROGEN .011
ISOPROPANOL .65 KEROSENE 20
METHANE .28 DIESEL 20
PROPANE .25
PROPYLENE .28
 Orders of Magnitude
• Explosives, hydrogen, unsaturated hydrocarbons, and
alkanes in oxygen have the lowest MIE, from 1-100 micro
J

• Alkanes in air, distillate fuels, and hybrid mixtures range

from 0.1-20 milli J

• Combustible dusts range from .01-10 J

• Kerosene and diesel 20 mJ

 Auto-ignition Temperature
• More common term for Marine Chemists
which is not based on electrical energy

• The minimum temperature required to ignite

a gas or vapor, in air, at atmospheric pressure,
without a spark or flame being present
 K47000 Apparatus
Determines the lowest
temperature at which the
vapors of a liquid or solid
chemical sample will self-
ignite under prescribed
laboratory conditions. The
temperatures at which ‘cool
flame’ and ‘hot flame’
ignitions occur, as
evidenced by sudden
temperature increases in
the sample flask, are
measured and recorded,
and the delay time between
introduction of the sample
and ignition is timed.
 Test Process
• Sample (100ul) introduced into a well insulated flask that is uniformly
heated.

• Gas/vapor temp is monitored as heating is performed

• Cool flame temp is recorded – slight blue flame, small but fast temp
rise

• Instant significant temp rise indicates combustion – hot flame

temperature.

• Recorded as the auto-ignition temperature

 Cool Flame
• A flame having maximal temperature below
about 400 °C (752 °F). It is usually produced in
a chemical reaction of a certain fuel-air
mixture. Contrary to conventional flame, the
reaction is not vigorous and releases very little
heat, light and carbon dioxide.

• Incomplete combustion
 Conclusions
• MIE and AIT are related in that they provide information about the
energy required to ignite a chemical.

• An ignition source must have adequate energy to propagate combustion

• An electrical source of ignition is very small for most chemicals we deal

with and is measured in mJ. Don’t underestimate the power of electrical
energy

• Other, more conventional ignition sources (hot work, light bulbs, heating
coils) must be at or above the auto-ignition temperature of the chemical
to propagate combustion
 Lithium Ion Batteries
• If enough microscopic metallic particles converge on one
spot, a sizable current begins to flow between the
electrodes of the cell, and the spot heats up and weakens.
As a small water leak in a faulty hydro dam can develop
into a torrent and take a structure down, so too can heat
buildup, damage the insulation layer in a cell and cause an
electrical short. The temperature can quickly reach 500C
(932F), at which point the cell catches fire or it explodes.
This thermal runaway that occurs is known as “venting
with flame.” “Rapid disassembly” is the preferred term by
the battery industry.
Inspection Drone

Are these guys at risk?

Controls

In flight

Quality pictures
 Battery Operated Drones
• Should battery operated drones be considered
potential ignition sources when used inside cargo
tanks?

• Could the batteries or drones ignite residues inside the

cargo tanks?

• Should the cargo tanks be cleaned to the extent that

they are “Safe For Hot Work” or is a cleanliness level of
“Atmosphere Safe For Workers” sufficient??
 ASFW Level of Cleanliness
• Pros
– Permits the use of drones for inspecting cargo
tanks without fully cleaning the tanks
– Reduces cost
– Enhances the safety of the inspection team by
eliminating the fall potential
– Reduces the need for staging
• Cons
– Could be an ignition source
 SFHW Level of Cleanliness
• Pros
– Eliminates the potential ignition of cargo residues
– Ensures total fire safety of the inspection team
• Cons
– No cost reduction in cleaning activity
– Staging required
– Fall potential for inspection team remains
 MCA Action
• MCA is reviewing the use of drones to consider if they
present a new potential ignition hazard in cargo tanks

• MCA recognizes the huge time/cost benefit to using

drones to perform internal structural inspections in
cargo tanks

• MCA is getting educated on the potential for batteries

to be considered ignition sources for flammable
atmospheres and residues