LITERATURE REVIEW

Flash point (FP) temperature is defined as the lowest temperature at which a liquid
produces enough vapor to ignite in air at atmospheric pressure when an ignition source such
as an external flame, for instance, is applied under specified test conditions (Catoire &
Naudet, 2004). A liquid is able to produce enough vapor to make a flammable mixture with
air when it is above the flash point.

A flash point tester is an instrument that determines the flash point of a sample, which is
the temperature point at which the sample vaporizes to another composition state in the air
that can be ignited. At that moment, the flash point apparatus can determine and measure the
vapor pressure change in which this occurs, also known as the lowest limit of flammability.
Therefore, vapor concentration can be determined by temperature. (labcompare, 2020) All
liquids obeys Boyle’s Law where they have a specific vapor pressure based on the liquid’s
temperature.

Flash point is an important concept in fire investigation and fire debris analysis, not only
for the classification of the ignitable liquids, but also for the evaluation of hazardous
situations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines a liquid with a flash
point below 100°F (37.8°C) as flammable, and a liquid with a flash point equal to or above
100°F (37.8°C) as combustible. Combustibles are further separated into Category I
Combustible (flash point below 200°F or 93.3°C) and Category II Combustible (flash point
above 200°F or 93.3°C). Other countries have different definitions of flammable and
combustible liquids (Stauffer, Dolan & Newman, 2008).

The diesels used for this experiment are ASTM D7094 and ASTM D93A. According to
Aleme and Barbeira (2012), diesel is made of hydrocarbon chains, particularly saturated
hydrocarbons (paraffins), unsaturated (olefins) and aromatic chains that contain from 10 to 19
carbon atoms and boil at approximately 180–370 C. The chemical formula is carried out by
mixing several fractions from the processing stages of crude oil, and the proportions of these
components adjusted in order to frame the product within legal specifications and ensure the
good performance of engines.

There are two types of flash point measurement, open cup and closed cup. Measuring a
flash point using an open cup method is, as the name suggests, conducted in a vessel which is
exposed to the air outside. The temperature of the substance is gradually raised and an
ignition source is passed over the top of it, until it reaches a point at which it “flashes” and
ignites. The flash point here will vary according to the distance between the substance and the
ignition source – the height of the source above the cup. The most commonly-used open cup
method is known as the Cleveland open cup (COC).

The flash point in the closed cup method is conducted inside a closed vessel which is not
open to the outside atmosphere. The lid is sealed and the ignition source is introduced into the
vessel itself, allowing for a closer approximation to real-life conditions , such as those found
inside a fuel tank (PETRO Industry News, 2014). As an example, Pensky Martens, Abel,
Tag, and the most widely-used, Small Scale, which is often known as Setaflash are the four
main types of closed cup flash points.
References
Catoire, L.; Naudet, V. J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 2004, 33, 1083
Gharagheizi, F., Alamdari, R. F., & Angaji, M. T. (2008). A New Neural Network−Group
Contribution Method for Estimation of Flash Point Temperature of Pure Components.
Energy & Fuels, 22(3), 1628–1635. doi:10.1021/ef700753t 
Aleme, H. G., & Barbeira, P. J. S. (2012). Determination of flash point and cetane index in
diesel using distillation curves and multivariate calibration. Fuel, 102, 129–
134. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2012.06.015 
Stauffer, E., Dolan, J. A., & Newman, R. (2008). Chemistry and Physics of Fire and Liquid
Fuels. Fire Debris Analysis, 85–129. doi:10.1016/b978-012663971-1.50008-7
Flash point Tester. Retrieved from : https://www.labcompare.com/Petroleum-Testing-
Equipment/6285-Flash-Point-Tester/
PETRO Industry News. (2014, June 26). Retrieved from Open and Closed Cup Flash Point –
What is the
Difference?:https://www.petroonline.com/news/analyticalinstrumentation/11/breaking-
news/open-and-closed-cup-flash-point-ndash-what-is-thedifference/30654