An Overview of Modern Calorimetric Techniques for Energetic Materials and Runaway Reaction Studies

Accurate knowledge of modern calorimetric techniques and proper calorimetric testing strategies are essential for the successful operation of energetic materials and process safety testing laboratories. Although many tools and techniques have been introduced in open literature, most safety scientists are not knowledgeable about modern calorimetry. This presentation will review the most recent calorimetric techniques and scenario-based testing protocols for energetic materials/process safety assessment. Key issues in early-stage process safety evaluation will be discussed, but emphasis will be given to the issue of calorimetric data scalability.

Since instrument developments in calorimetry science are usually not reported in primary literature, and calorimetric experiments are usually performed with whatever instruments that are available, a guide for choosing the best calorimeter for a given task will be given. In this guide, the data scalability and applicability of various calorimetric methods (RC1, SuperCRC, C80, DSC, ARC, DARC, VSP, etc.) are reviewed. Examples of the use and misuse of calorimetric tools and data will be demonstrated.