1.

0 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this experiment of determination of flash point of petroleum products;

i. To find the flash point of petroleum products.

ii. To compare the flash point of different petroleum products
iii. To compare the actual flash point with expected flash point

2.0 ABSTRACT / SUMMARY

The main purposes of the experiment determination are to determine the flash point of the
petroleum products using closed cup method (Pensky Martens’ apparatus), to compare the flash
point of different products and to compare the actual and expected flash point where the
kerosene and diesel are compared while only diesel is used as the sample for the flash point
testing. During the experiment, the result of the on the flash point of diesel is obtained on 4.36
minutes after 20 application of igniting the product. Next, the actual flash point is compared with
the expected flash point which is in range 52 ºC to 96 ºC. Then, by comparing the flash point
diesel with other petroleum products of kerosene with the flash point of 38 ºC
(minimum).Kerosene is more combustible than diesel because it has a greater ability to burn at
temperatures that are typically higher than working temperatures. Furthermore, the number of
carbon atoms affects the flash point of petroleum products; the higher the number of carbon
atoms, the higher the flash point of petroleum products; petroleum products with 18 carbon
atoms are more combustible than petroleum products with 11 carbon atoms.

3.0 INTRODUCTION AND THEORY

Each liquid has its own characteristics, which give it distinct characteristics that distinguish
it from the others. There have been numerous studies on the physical and chemical properties of
liquids. This research is critical in order to comprehend the fluid itself. This will aid in the
suitability of the liquid for all applications. The liquid's flash point is one of its most important
characteristics. When a volatile material's vapours are supplied with an ignition source, the flash
point is defined as the lowest temperature at which they will begin to ignite. Basically, the flash
point characteristics are used to distinguish between flammable and combustible liquids such as
gasoline and diesel. Generally, there are some misunderstandings about the flash point, auto
ignition temperature, and fire point. The temperature at which the vapour spontaneously ignites
without the use of an ignition source is known as the auto ignition temperature. The fire point is
also the lowest temperature at which the vapour continues to burn even though the ignition
source has been removed.

The open cup and closed cup tests are the two most common types of measurement used to
determine the flash point. Researchers often employ both of these techniques in order to learn
more about the flash point. In an open cup test, the procedure is carried out inside a vessel that is
then exposed to the air outside. The temperature of the substance will rise as a result of the
exposure, and an ignition source will be passed over it, causing it to ignite as it approaches the
flash point. The most common method used in the open cup measurement is the Cleveland open
cup method which usually used the brass as the vessel.

The closed cup measurement, on the other hand, is a procedure that is carried out within a
closed vessel that is not exposed to the outside atmosphere. Before the ignition source is inserted
into the vessel, it will be sealed with the lid, allowing for a closer approximation to real-life
conditions. Pensky Martens, Abel, Tag, and Setaflash are well-known closed cup measuring
methods that are typically used on a small scale. In Pensky Martens, it uses a brass cup which
filled with a test specimen and fitted with a cover. The source of heat then will be supplied to the
sample before being stirred at various ranges depends on the material that being used.

The mechanism of the flash point basically can relate to the Boyle’s Law. In the Boyle’s
Law, it describes how the pressure tends to increase as the volume decrease in as simple word
the pressure is inversely proportional to the volume.

PV =k
P= Pressure of gas
V = Volume of the gas
k= Constant
 Equation 1

As the temperature increases the vapour pressure will also increases. As it is increases, it
will cause the concentration of vapour a flammable or combustible liquid in the air follow to be
increases. The temperature will be determined the concentration of vapour of the flammable
liquid in the air. For each flammable or combustible liquid, there will be the flammable limit
where it is different and specific to each liquid.

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS/ TUTORIAL

Table 1: Petroleum products with actual and expected flash point

Material Actual flash point (℃) Expected flash point(℃)

Diesel 45-63 52-96

Kerosene - 38(minimum)

Table 2: The temperature and flame and spark

Time ,min Temp ,℃ Flame Spark

0 26.1
0.18 26.0 /
1.34 27.0
1.56 28.0
2.09 29.0
2.22 30.0
2.33 31.0
2.44 32.0
2.54 33.0
3.03 34.0
3.12 35.0
3.20 36.0
3.30 37.0
3.38 38.0
3.47 39.0
4.05 40.0
4.15 41.0 /
4.25 42.0 /
4.36 43.0 / /
4.46 44.0 / /
4.54 45.0 / /
5.09 46.0 / /
5.20 47.0 / /
5.33 48.0 / /
5.43 50.0 / /
5.55 51.0 / /
6.06 52.0 / /
6.16 53.0 / /
6.27 54.0 / /
6.39 55.0 / /
6.48 56.0 / /
6.58 57.0 / /
7.08 58.0 / /
7.18 59.0 / /
7.29 60.0 / /
7.38 61.0 / /
7.48 62.0 / /
7.58 63.0 / /

FLASH POINT
70
60
50
40
TIME

30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

TEMPERATURE FLAMETEMPERATURE
FLAME & SPARK
 The aim of this experiment is to figure out what the flash point of diesel is and compare
it to what was expected. The ISL FP170 5G, which was intended to automatically determine the
Pensky Martens Closed Cups Flash Point, was used to determine the actual flash point.
Throughout the experiment, diesel was used as a material.
All liquids have a special vapour pressure, according to Boyle's Law, and as the
temperature rises, the vapour pressure rises with it. As a result, there will be an increase in the
concentration of vapour. As a result, the temperature determines the amount of flammable
liquid in the air. Finally, the flash point is the lowest temperature at which the product must be
heated in order to release enough vapour to form a flammable mixture. Flammable liquids have
a flash point less than 37.8°C, while combustible liquids have a flash point greater than 60.5°C.
As a result, petrol is a flammable liquid.
Based on Rademaeker, Fabiano & Buratti (2013), the expected flash point for diesel is
approximately at 52°C to 96°C. The actual flash point that was obtained is 45℃-63℃. Thus, it
means that 63℃ is the temperature that is needed by the diesel to be heated to give sufficient
vapour to form a mixture with the air to ignite. The graph also showed that the higher the time
that are been used the higher the temperature become. Based on the graph also we see that
during the temperature around 43℃ when the petrol product start to spark
Diesel is non-flammable and non-carcinogenic. To ignite diesel, it must be heated to a
high temperature. The air in the engine is compressed to above the auto ignition temperature,
and the fuel is then vaporised into the combustion chamber by the fuel injections. The hot air
then ignites the small droplets of diesel. This is why diesel engines last longer than gasoline
engines. Because petrol is a more volatile chemical, it is already in the vapour phase when it
enters the combustion chambers. Diesel, on the other hand, is a less volatile chemical that does
not completely vaporise. They appear as a large number of tiny droplets, each of which must be
burned separately.
The Pensky Martens Closed Cup Flash Point is an electrical heated cup with
adjustable temperature ramp rate. The number of the application to reach the flash point is 19th
times. The number of application shows the number of applying the ignition source. For diesel, it
takes about 19th times of ignition source until it reach it flash point where they can produce
sufficient vapour for ignition.
The flash point is important because it is one of the measures of the test specimen's
propensity to form a flammable mixture, and it is only one of many properties that must be
considered when determining a material's overall flammability hazard. Typically, flash point is
used to describe flammable and combustible in shipping and safety regulations. Under controlled
laboratory conditions, this test will describe the properties of the materials, products, or
assemblies in response to heat and an ignition source. . Thus, the results of these test method can
be used as an elements of a fire risk assessment.
1. What are the expected flash point of diesel and kerosene?
Based on research on material safety data sheets, the expected flash point of kerosene are
38°C (100 °F) minimum (ScienceLab, 2017) while diesel fuel flash points vary between
52 °C and 96 °C (126 °F and 205 °F) with an average 80 °C (176 °F) for expected flash
point of diesel (Monjasa, 2017)

2. What are the actual flash point of diesel and kerosene?

Based on experiment that has been done, the actual flash point of diesel was 45-63( °C)..
However, the actual flash point of kerosene obtained was assumed as same in value with
expected flash point of kerosene which was 38°C (100 °F) minimum.

3. Is there any difference between expected and actual flash point of the
samples? Discuss.
There was a difference between the predicted and real flash points for diesel, which were
80°C and 45-63(°C), respectively. This discrepancy may have arisen because the
precision measuring device was not quite precise, and the Pensky Marten's apparatus was
old. The mistakes may also be the result of the crude diesel not being properly mixed
before being used and tested in Pensky Marten's apparatus. Then, despite the fact that the
diesel was mixed and stirred during the experiment, the beaker that was used may
contained impurities, and the diesel was contaminated, with sediment at the bottom of the
diesel container. However, the actual flash point of kerosene obtained was assumed as
same in value with expected flash point of kerosene which was 38°C (100 °F) minimum.

4. What are the importances of flash point to petroleum products?

The importance of flash point to petroleum products is that knowing the flash
point of petroleum products makes it easier for people to use, store, and transport them
appropriately. For example, most petroleum products must be stored underground of
petrol pumps, and knowing the flash point of petroleum products gives one an idea of the
maximum temperature below which petroleum products can be used, prepared, and
transported.
Next, the flash point is used to determine the flammability and combustibility of a
fuel, with the lower the flash point, the more flammable or combustible the fuel of
petroleum products is. The flash point of a petroleum product is also used by
manufacturers and marketers to detect contamination, with a significantly lower flash
point than expected for a petroleum product being a reliable indicator that the petroleum
product has been contaminated with a more volatile petroleum product such as gasoline
(expected flash point is 43 °C or 45 °F).
The flash point is also used as an aid in establishing the identity of a particular
petroleum product. In addition, the flash point indicates fire hazard of petroleum products
and evaporation loses under high temperature. Light crude oil is liquid petroleum with
low density, low specific gravity, low wax content, high API gravity, and flow freely at
room temperature due to the presence of a high proportion of light hydrocarbon fractions,
whereas heavy crude oil has high density, high specific gravity, low wax content, high
API gravity, and flow freely at room temperature due to the presence of a high proportion
of heavy hydrocarbon fractions.
From a safety standpoint, the flash point is critical because it is the primary reason
for the need for measurements to assess the flammability and combustibility of liquids
and semi-liquids, as well as their classification into groups, with the lower the flash point,
the greater the risk The classification is used to alert users to potential hazards and to help
them take the proper precautions when using, storing, and transporting liquid petroleum
products. The flash point is also used for quality control and flammability risk control,
with a change in flash point indicating the presence of potentially dangerous volatile
contaminants or product adulteration.
Flash point is descriptive characteristic, to characterize fire hazards of liquids and
also used to distinguish between flammable liquids and combustible liquids where based
on Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (2017), liquids with the flash
point below than 37.8°C (100°F) is called flammable liquids where flammable liquids
will ignite (catch on fire) and burn easily at normal working temperatures while the
liquids with the flash point in range 37.8 °C to 93.3 °C (100 °F to 200 °F) is classified as
combustible liquids which it has the ability to burn at temperatures that are usually above
working temperatures.
 5. If you have a sample of unknown and from the flash point test rig, you find
out that the flash point is 40 ºC, what could the material be?
If I have an unknown sample with a flash point of 40 oC as determined by a flash
point test rig, the material may be kerosene. This is because kerosene's predicted flash
point is between 38 and 72 degrees Celsius (100 and 162 degrees Fahrenheit), with a
minimum flash point of 38 degrees Celsius. Kerosene (also known as paraffin, lamp oil,
and coal oil) is a flammable hydrocarbon liquid obtained from petroleum that is
commonly used in industry and households as a fuel. According to the Canadian Centre
for Occupational Health and Safety (2017), liquids with a flash point less than 37.8°C
(100°F) are flammable liquids, which will easily ignite (catch fire) and burn at normal
working temperatures.

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

It can be concluded that the flash point of diesel is theoritically expected in the range of
52oC to 96°C whereby the actual flash point obtain from this experiment is 45-63(ºC) with the
value of expected flash point entered in the equipment is 63ºC. For every grades of diesel, the
flash point is differ by each other. Diesel can be considered as safer than another petroleum
product since it has the highest value of flash point. Petroleum products with a flash point below
40ºC are easily ignited on exposure of flame which may cause burn. Toluene is normally having
low flash point at 40ºC. Therefore, special precautions are necessary for safe handling. The flash
point of flammable liquid also depends on the number of carbon atom where the higher the
number of carbon atom, the higher the flash point of the petroleum products.

There are several recommendations should be improved in this experiment. Any source
of ignition should be avoided when handling of flammable and combustible liquid. A proper
storage is required to store the flammable liquid away from ignition factors. Last but not least,
the original sampling should be used to maintain the consistency of the result.

6.0 REFERENCES
 i. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, CCOHS. (2017). Flammable and
combustible liquids hazards. Retrieved from
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/flammable/flam.html

ii. Identification, C. (n.d.). Safety Data Sheet Kerosene NFPA : : Danger.

iii. Janes A. and Chalneux J., 2013, Experimental Determination of Flash Point of
Flammable Liquids Aqueous Solution, Chemical Engineering Transaction, (vol 31, pg
943 – 948).

iv. Of, I., & Substance, T. H. E. (n.d.). MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet – GAS OIL /
DIESEL MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet – GAS OIL / DIESEL.

v. Pensky-Martens Flash Point Tester: PMA 5 – Anton Paar (2017). Retrieved from
http://www.anton-paar.com/corp-en/products/details/pma-5/

vi. Safety data sheets diesel. (2017). Monjasa. Retrieved from

https://monjasa.com/sites/monjasa.com/files/downloads/msds_gas_oil__monjasa.pdf

vii. Safety data sheets kerosene. (2017). ScienceLab. Retrieved from

www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924436

viii. Speight, J.G. (2001).Handbook of Petroleum Analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
 ix. Standard Test Methods for Flash Point by Pensky-Martens Closed Cup Tester – ASTM
International (2017). Retrieved from https://www.astm.org/Standards/D93.htm

The Chemistry of Fuel : Petrol vs Diesel – Dr Chemical (2012). Retrieved from

http://drchemical.com.au/the-chemistry-of-fuel-petrol-vs-diesel-2