Calorimeter-based experimental analysis and safety recommendations for ABS powder with thermally hazardous properties

This study investigated a flash fire disaster involving a storage vessel containing acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) powder at a chemical plant in Taiwan. The extreme temperatures of the combustible powder on the tank wall dissolved and trickled onto the ABS powder at the bottom of the tank, igniting the styrene and butadiene derivatives as well as other inflammable gases and an eruption of dust. To proactively assess the explosion and thermal runaway hazards of ABS powder in industrial processes, the study used various experimental methods, such as thermogravimetric analyser (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Based upon the TG results, the oxidation process of ABS powder would proceed in the air atmosphere at 210 °C, establishing carbon dioxide and releasing various volatile organic compounds. Meanwhile, the DSC results indicated that the oxidation of ABS powder generated an exothermic heat of 2000.2 J g –1 . Furthermore, the risk potential of ABS powder depends on dust dispersion behaviour, which may be altered by equipment configuration. As a result, this present study recommends that nitrogen be employed rather than air during the transportation and manufacturing of ABS powder to reduce the risk of fire and explosion.