Abstract
The flammability of twelve (12) different alcoholic beverages was experimentally determined by means of flash point testing. The flash point of a liquid fuel is the temperature at which a pool of the substance produces enough flammable vapor to support a momentary flame that propagates over the surface of the pool when an external flame is introduced. The flame then subsequentially extinguishes due to the vapor being consumed. Similarly, the fire point is the temperature at which the pool sustains a flame for at least 5 s. The flash point and fire point of a fuel is dependent on the test method used for their determination. This study used the ASTM D92 method for an open-cup apparatus and the ASTM D3941 method for a closed-cup apparatus. Beers, wines, and liquors ranging from 5% to 94.5% alcohol by volume (%ABV) were tested. The goal of the selection was to supplement existing data on the flash point of alcoholic beverages and to determine if the type of alcohol (rum, vodka, wine, beer, etc.) or the derivative product (corn, sugar cane, potatoes, etc.) has an effect on the flash point or fire point of the liquid. It was concluded that %ABV is the most significant factor that influences flash or fire point when utilizing equivalent experimental test methods, and that the type of alcohol has no significant effect on ignition risk.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
NFPA (2021) NFPA 921: guide for fire and explosion investigation. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy
State of Wisconsin v. John R. Maloney, 2004 WI App 141 (2004) (Circuit Court of Eighteenth Judicial Circuit).
The People of State of Illinois v. William Amor, Case No. 95 CF 2075 (2016) (Circuit Court of Eighteenth Judicial Circuit).
Babrauskas V (2003) Principles and applications to fire safety engineering, fire investigation, risk management and forensic science. Ignition Handbook, p 182–233
NFPA (1994) NFPA 325: guide for fire hazard properties of flammable liquids, gases, and volatile solids. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy
ASTM (2016) D92–16 standard test method for flash and fire points by Cleveland open cup tester. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
ASTM (2020) D3921–20 standard test method for flash point by the equilibrium method with a closed-cup apparatus. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
ASTM (2020) D93–20 standard test methods for flash point by Pensky-Martens closed cup tester. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
ASTM (2021) D1310–14(2021) standard test method for flash point and fire point of liquids by tag open-cup apparatus. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Sudbrook, E.J., Hussain, N., Carpenter, D.J. et al. Experimental Determination of Flash Points and Fire Points of Alcoholic Beverages. Fire Technol 59, 2719–2732 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-023-01449-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-023-01449-w