Kinetica, Inc. offers a commercial sample testing service for Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (ARC). This service provides a cost-effective method for obtaining thermal and pressure hazards data for condensed phase reactions.  The test protocol conforms to  ASTM E 1981-98, " Standard Guide for Assessing the Thermal Stability of Materials by Methods of Accelerating Rate Calorimetry".

The ARC is an adiabatic calorimeter used for reactor and pilot plant safety analysis; it determines  the time, temperature, and pressure relationships for exothermic reactions.  A standard ARC test  employs a titanium bomb loaded under an air atmosphere. Inert gas is supplied upon request. A heat-wait-search cycle is conducted with a 5 °C heat step and a  20 minute wait time  from 50 to 400 °C.  Thermal and pressure hazard parameters  related to  ARC data include,  onset temperature, adiabatic temperature rise, pressure generation rate,  time to maximum rate, temperature of no return , and self-accelerating decomposition temperature.   Reactor engineering applications include heat exchanger sizing, process optimization, and reactor design.

Test data are tabulated in a formal report. Detailed plots of the raw ARC data are presented for temperature  and pressure vs time, pressure, self-heat rate, and pressure rate vs temperature, and  pressure rate vs self-heat rate.

Typical  users  of   the ARC  testing  service are engineers, chemists, attorneys,  and  chemical processors that  have a  need for process safety data and analysis.   Please contact Kinetica to discuss  particular concerns and requirements for ARC analysis.

ARC^TM  is a registered trademark.