Elizabeth C. Buc, PhD, PE, CFI
\nFire and Materials Research Laboratory LLC<\/p>\n
Presented at\u00a0International Symposium on Fire Investigation<\/a>, 2014<\/p>\n ABSTRACT<\/p>\n Under some conditions, chemicals that are otherwise stable can react, evolve heat and cause a fire, detonate or\u00a0explode. The fire investigator has to identify the chemical reactants, the reaction products and conditions that\u00a0supported ignition and flame spread. A chemical fire investigation flow diagram and real-world examples of fires\u00a0involving chemicals are presented to assist the fire investigator in processing chemical fires. Examples of chemical\u00a0fires include self-heating, a thermite reaction, a runaway reaction from mixing incompatible materials and reactions\u00a0generating hydrogen gas. Factors contributing to chemical fires such as size or quantity of material, confinement,\u00a0contamination and upset process conditions are identified. Sampling, chemical analyses, literature review, and\/or\u00a0testing proposed or potential adverse chemical reactions are required to establish the root cause of a chemical fire.<\/p>\n Download the complete paper here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Elizabeth C. Buc, PhD, PE, CFI Fire and Materials Research Laboratory LLC Presented at\u00a0International Symposium on Fire Investigation, 2014 ABSTRACT Under some conditions, chemicals that are otherwise stable can react, evolve heat and cause a fire, detonate or\u00a0explode. The fire investigator has to identify the chemical reactants, the reaction products and conditions that\u00a0supported ignition and … Continue reading “Breaking Bad” – Investigating Fires From Chemicals and Chemical Reactions<\/span>