Accelerating rate calorimeter studies of water-induced thermal hazards of fireworks tip mixture

The objective of this article is to generate thermal decomposition data on fireworks tip mixture, a mixture used to coat the tip of fireworks, for easy ignition. This mixture has reportedly involved in triggering many accidents in fireworks industry. Different quantities of water were added to the mixture and its thermal characteristics were studied. Differential scanning calorimeter was used for screening tests and accelerating rate calorimeter was used for detailed studies in adiabatic and isothermal modes. The self-heat rate data obtained showed onset temperature for different quantity of water, at a range of 80–170 °C. The mixture with 40 % water wt/wt had onset at 80 °C in adiabatic mode. The same mixture on isoaging at 40 °C exhibited exothermic characteristics with a substantial rise in system pressure (57 bar). The heats of exothermic decomposition and Arrhenius kinetics were also computed.     

Thermo-kinetic studies of NaN3/KNO3 air bag gas generant mixture

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - This paper addresses the thermal behavior of commonly used NaN3/KNO3 gas generant mixtures under different heating rates using simultaneous thermal...     

Adiabatic thermokinetics and process safety of pyrotechnic mixtures

Pyrotechnic mixtures are susceptible to explosive decompositions. The aim of this paper is to generate thermal decomposition data under adiabatic conditions for fireworks mixtures containing potassium nitrate, barium nitrate, sulfur, and aluminum which are manufactured on a commercial scale. Differential scanning calorimeter is used for screening tests and accelerating rate calorimeter is used for other studies. The self heat rate data obtained showed onset temperature in the range of 275?C295?°C for the fireworks atom bomb, Chinese cracker and palm leaf cracker. Of the three mixtures studied, atom bomb mixture had an early onset at 275?°C. The mixtures in general showed vigor exothermic decompositions. Palm leaf mixture exhibits multiple exotherm and reached a final temperature of 414?°C. The thermal decomposition contributes to substantial rise in system pressure. The heats of exothermic decomposition and Arrhenius kinetics were computed. The kinetic data are validated by comparing the predicted self heat rates with the experimental data.     

Mathematical modeling of aerosol emission from die sinking electrical discharge machining process

Emission of toxic gases and aerosol is an important hazard associated with the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process, one of the most widely used non-conventional manufacturing processes. These emissions can cause adverse health effects to the operators and has a direct impact on the environment. The emission from this process is directly related to the temperature at the process location. This paper was aimed at developing a model that quantifies the aerosol generated from the die sinking EDM process while machining steel workpiece with copper electrode. The model developed in this paper made use of energy balance and heat transfer equations. The modeling results were then validated using experimentally obtained values of the emission rate of aerosol from this process. The results showed a close correlation of +0.89 with experimental results. The model developed in this paper can predict the level of emissions at different process locations; thereby reducing the direct cost and time associated with experimentation.     

Characterization of form-stable phase-change material for solar photovoltaic cooling

Solar PV panel cooling is essential to achieve maximum efficiency of PV modules. Phase-change material (PCM) is one of the prominent options to cool the panel and reduce the temperature, since PCMs have low thermal conductivity. Expanded graphite particles are used to enrich the structure and stability as well as to increase the thermal properties. In the present research work, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000 is used as a base material and expanded graphite for inclusive particle. A novel form-stable PEG1000/EG composite PCM mixture is prepared, using impregnation and dispersion method. Expanded graphite and PEG1000/EG sample phase compositions are investigated, using X-ray diffraction technique. No new peak is identified in the composite PCM sample. The surface morphology and structure of EG and PEG1000/EG are investigated, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Chemical stability analysis is done by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal properties of the prepared composite PCMs are analysed by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and KD2 pro analyser. Results show that addition of EG in various propositions (5%, 10% and 15%) enhances the thermal conductivity of PCM samples from 0.3654 to 1.7866 W mK^?1, while melting point and latent heat of fusion of PCM samples are getting reduced. TGA thermographs are used to investigate the thermal stability of the composite PCM samples. TGA curves show that loss of mass happens above the operating temperature, and it is varied with different mass ratios of EG. Characterization of the prepared composite PCM samples is compared and found that PEG1000-85%/EG-15% is the best form-stable PCM, suitable for cooling the solar PV panel as well as to improve the electrical efficiency coupled with a decrease of temperature in the range of 35 °C to 40 °C.

     

Thermal hazards of cracker mixture using DSC

DSC studies of cracker mixtures of different compositions of potassium nitrate, sulphur and aluminum have shown some critical characteristics either with the increase or decrease in the composition of the components. Specifically, sulphur composition below 8% showed no exothermic activity. The studies revealed that a minimum of 11% to a maximum of 17% of sulphur is required for good cracking characteristics. The kinetics of decomposition of cracker mixture is carried out employing DSC multiple heating rate kinetic method. Increase in sulphur content decrease the energy of activation facilitating easy ignition of the cracker mixtures. Arrhenius parameters for cracker mixture decomposition are reported in this paper.     

Thermal analysis of kerosene with 1,2-methyl ethyl 1-methyl pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide as an additive

This paper reports the thermal characterization of kerosene fuel-doped ionic liquid (1, 2-methylethyl 1-methyl pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide) (MEMP TFSA), an antistatic additive used in jet fuel engines. The ionic liquids (ILs) samples are prepared with the mass of 5, 10 and 15% in the kerosene fuel. These fuel samples are subjected to thermal decomposition studies at different scanning rates of 5, 10 and 15 °C min^?1 using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method. The onset temperatures of exothermic reactions of kerosene-doped ILs are increased from 360–465 °C, when the mass percentage of ILs increased in the kerosene fuel. The boiling point of the kerosene-doped ILs was displaced to the higher temperature when compared to the pure kerosene. This showed that the doping of antistatic additives of ILs with kerosene increased its thermal stability property than the pure kerosene fuel. The thermo-kinetic studies are also carried out using Ozawa’s Kinetic method to determine the activation energy (E_a) and pre-exponential factor (A). The FTIR analysis showed that the kerosene-doped ionic liquid forms a homogenous mixture rather than prevailing separately.