ASTM D3828 Test Methods for Flash Point by Small Scale Closed Cup Tester
1. Scope
1.1 These test methods cover procedures for flash point tests, within the range of -30 to 300°C, of petroleum products and biodiesel liquid fuels, using a small scale closed cup tester. The procedures may be used to determine, whether a product will or will not flash at a specified temperature (flash/no flash Method A) or the flash point of a sample (Method B). When used in conjunction with an electronic thermal flash detector, these test methods are also suitable for flash point tests on biodiesels such as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME).
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.
1.3 Warning - Mercury has been designated by EPA and many state agencies as a hazardous material that can cause central nervous system, kidney, and liver damage. Mercury, or its vapor, may be hazardous to health and corrosive to materials. Caution should be taken when handling mercury and mercury-containing products. See the applicable product Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for details and EPA's website for additional information. Users should be aware that selling mercury or mercury-containing products, or both, in your state may be prohibited by state law.
1.4 This standard should be used to measure and describe the properties of materials, products, or assemblies in response to heat and flame under controlled laboratory conditions and should not be used to describe or appraise the fire hazard or fire risk of materials, products, or assemblies under actual fire conditions. However, results of this test may be used as elements of a fire risk assessment which takes into account all of the factors which are pertinent to an assessment of the fire hazard of a particular end use.
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Warning statements appear throughout. See also the Material Safety Data Sheets for the product being tested.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D3941 Test Method for Flash Point by the Equilibrium Method With a Closed-Cup Apparatus
D4057 Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products
D4177 Practice for Automatic Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products
D6299 Practice for Applying Statistical Quality Assurance and Control Charting Techniques to Evaluate Analytical Measurement System Performance
E 300 Practice for Sampling Industrial Chemicals
2.2 ISO Standards:
Guide 34 Quality Systems Guidelines for the Production of Reference Materials
Guide 35 Certification of Reference Materials - General and Statistical Principles
EN ISO 3679 Determination of Flash Point-Rapid Equilibrium Closed Cup Method
EN ISO 3680 Determination of Flash/No Flash-Rapid Equilibrium Closed Cup Method
2.3 Energy Institute Standards:
IP 523 Determination of flash point - Rapid equilibrium closed cup method
IP 524 Determination of flash/no flash - Rapid equilibrium closed cup method
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 equilibrium, n - in flash point test methods, the condition where the vapor above the test specimen, and the test specimen are at the same temperature at the time the ignition source is applied.
3.1.1.1 Discussion - This condition may not be fully achieved in practice, since the temperature may not be uniform throughout the test specimen, and the test cover and shutter on the apparatus can be cooler or warmer.
3.1.2 flash point, n - in flash point test methods, the lowest temperature corrected to a pressure of 101.3 kPa (760 mm Hg) at which application of an ignition source causes the vapors of a specimen of the sample to ignite under specified conditions of test.
