Chemicals Deemed Non-Flammable Are More Dangerous Than They Appear

Knowing how to safely heat flammable chemicals is crucial for chemical engineers aiming to minimize fire hazards in plants and surrounding communities. Engineers heavily rely on information provided in a chemical’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to determine the safest manufacturing processes. However, unforeseen safety hazards can arise when the SDS contains inaccurate information. Some heavily halogenated hydrocarbons are labeled as non-flammable because they appear not to have a flash point. Instead, an outgassing phenomenon occurs, creating an extreme flame rather than the expected blue flash upon ignition during flash point testing. This project aims to demonstrate that these hydrocarbons are flammable and will flash above ambient temperature. Numerous trials of five chemical species were conducted to test for flashing within a flammability chamber. All five tested chemicals flashed at relatively low temperatures (most below 42 °C). These results indicate that each of the five chemicals should be considered a flammable or combustible liquid, depending on the chemical’s flash point. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the flash point of all hydrocarbon-based chemicals is tested. If a liquid chemical is determined to be flammable or combustible, its SDS should be updated accordingly.