Spontaneous combustion.

[Boater Sam]

An associate of mine used to ship swarf scrap around the world in old ships that were scrapped at their destination.
He lost a few over the years due to the swarf oxidising in wet holds and setting uncontrollably on fire

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Thank you ... was otherwise engaged - sorting out Beware of Dog signs for me new fence ... 3D printing.

Flash Point ... Open or Closed cup depending on product being tested as VicS says - is the temp at which the vapour produced at surface of product will ignite when ignition source introduced .. such as a sparker or flame.

VicS said:
No the flash point is the temperature to which the liquid must be heated for the vapour above it to be ignited when a flame is applied.... but under very specific conditions such as in a Pensky Martens closed cup flash point apparatus .

What Refueler is describing would be the "autoignition temperature"
Thanks, both of you! I knew I didn't have it quite right, had forgotten all about PM. Been retired too long

 

[LittleSister]

To add, this sounds like an 'opinion' from the FB lot..

Or, I suspect, a misunderstanding of what the Fire Brigade actually said.

 

[Pete7]

Cargo ? Bananas.

Basically they had been loaded 'past their' green usual load condition and ripened on voyage - giving off methane as they rotted ....

I thought bananas gave off ethylene?

 

[penfold]

I thought bananas gave off ethylene?

They do, although I dare say once they're well past 'the turn' methane will be produced.

 

[Refueler]

I thought bananas gave off ethylene?

Maybe ... I'm not at my 'lab desk' ! The point is that when they start to rot - they give of highly flammable vapours.

 

[Aja]

I've seen a post on FB about a yacht fire that was thought by the Fire Brigade to have been started by spontaneous combustion of a rubber dinghy stored in a cabin. Has anyone else had a similar experience? The FB thought it is was due to reaction of nitrites in the rubber with traces of grease. There was no other source of ignition.

Back in the dim and distant past I worked for Templeton Carpets.

In the weaving shed the tenters and weavers were constantly blowing away what was basically wool dust using compressed air lines. Reason was it occasionally burst into flames.

Not as frightening as a shuttle firing out a wilton loom...