Characterise and determining thermal decomposition onsets

Industry standard tool for screening reactive systems, developed to compliment DIERS methodology for vent sizing.

The Advanced Reactive System Screening Tool (ARSST) is an example of a pseudo-adiabatic calorimeter batch reactor tool that is used to quickly identify potential reactive chemical hazards in processes.

It consists of a well-instrumented pressure vessel that usually holds a spherical glass test cell that can heat a 10 ml sample at a specified ramp or rate, determining onset temperatures up to 400 °C. The reaction mixture, magnetic stirrer and thermocouple are introduced to this cell, while the pressure inside the vessel is measured by a pressure transducer. Due to the unique heating method by a wraparound heater, the sample is kept in a pseudo-adiabatic mode and no heat loss to the surroundings occurs.

Typical data outputs can include the following:

• Rate of pressure rise

• Heat of reaction

• Heat of mixing

• Total adiabatic temperature rise

• Onset temperature

• Tempering temperature

• Self-accelerating decomposition temperature

• Time to maximum rate (induction time profile)

Flexible screening tool for analysis of varied Reactive Systems: basic reaction calorimetry possible with reagent mixing, thermal stability screening of mixtures and materials, and evolved pressure data to boot. Uses typically small sample sizes to compliment early-stage development.

Pseudo-adiabatic methodology for accurate determination of thermal decomposition onsets of materials, with the added benefit of pressure data collection.