ASTM D6801-07

This test method provides a means of accelerating the tendency of a material toward spontaneous heating that may eventually lead to a fire. It is applicable to liquids and pastes.

The spontaneous heating behavior of an oil-based material is affected by such factors as the availability of oxygen, the amount of driers present, the degree of polymerization of oils, the surface area of the cellulose material, measures to prevent heat dissipation, and the amount of oil in contact with cellulose material. The degree of spontaneous heating bears little relationship to the type of cellulose material to which an oil-based material comes in contact or whether or not oil soaked materials are first air dried. Small amounts of contaminants, such as oil paint, quartz dust, dirt or drier (for example, materials that might be found on a dirty, oil-soaked rag), can act as catalysts for this reaction.³

1.1 This test method covers a small-scale laboratory procedure to determine the self heating tendency of oil-based materials by exposure to elevated temperatures in air in a controlled semi-adiabatic system.

1.2 This test method has been developed to address an urgent need to identify oil-based materials that may require labeling for spontaneous heating tendency. Studies based on this test method may allow the development of a practice to identify such oil-based materials.

1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.

This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For safety concerns specific to disposal of solvent-soaked rags, see Appendix X1.