Equipment and facilities

Adiabatic calorimeter Phi-Tec II

The adiabatic calorimeter is used mainly to estimate the hazardous potential of an exothermic reaction during thermal runaway and of decomposition reactions. Temperature and pressure course under adiabatic conditions are measured.
The Phi-Tec is characterized by using thin walled test cells, which results in a low thermal mass. Subject to the measured sample Phi-factors close to 1 are achieved. These values are close to large-scale plants.
Among tests in closed cells it is possible to carry out mass release or quench experiments.

Phi-Tec assembly with installed test can (enlarged picture)

Temperature and pressure course during adiabatic self-heating (enlarged picture)

The following safety characteristics and process describing data can be determined:

Onset temperature (T_onset)
Adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT_ad)
Heat of reaction (Q_R)
Rate of temperature rise (dT/dt)
Rate of pressure rise (dp/dt)
Adiabatic induction time (t_ad)
Kinetic data (activation energy E_A, Arrhenius pre exponential factor A)

Technical Data

Apparatus: adiabatic calorimeter Phi-Tec II, inc. HEL (UK)
Temperature range: ambient temperature to 500°C
Pressure range: vacuum to 137 bar
Sample flask: stainless steel cell, about 100 ml volume, others on request
Test procedures:
- Closed Can-Test
- Heat-Wait-Search-Test
- Open Cell-Test
Non-suitable for:
- very fast decomposition reactions (dT/dt > 100 K/min, dp/dt > 100 bar/min)
- temperatures below ambient condition
- highly viscous systems

BAM Equipment and facilities | Chemical Process Safety

2012-01-24

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