New Age in Flashpoint Testing

MINIFLASH TOUCH is the latest addition to the AMETEK Grabner Instruments (Austria) line of portable flashpoint testers that combines all of the field-proven advantages of the MINIFLASH tester line with a new full colour touch screen design. The MINIFLASH series is a uniquely designed group of flash-point testers that uses a continuously closed cup method to determine the flash point of petroleum products, liquids and solids.

The MINIFLASH method offers the highest repeatability and reproducibility, an excellent and ASTM-proven correlation) to the D93 Pensky-Martens method. It delivers results equivalent to other well-known, closed-cup standards. Typical applications include the fast screening of diesel and jet fuels; the flash-point testing of potentially flammable goods, pharmaceuticals, aroma products, paints, varnishes, engine and lubricating oils; and the determination of solid waste composition and unknown mixtures of liquid hydrocarbons. The unit’s compact size and rugged housing make it the perfect solution for military applications, mobile labs and other demanding applications.

The MINIFLASH TOUCH utilises Ignition Protection Technology for maximum safety during flashpoint tests. This Grabner-developed method measures the instantaneous pressure increase inside a continuously closed test chamber resulting from an electric arc that ignites vapour from a 1 or 2 mL sample. No open flame is produced. Automatic explosion probing and automatic interruption of oxygen supply after flashpoint detection make the MINIFLASH the safest flashpoint tester available. The instrument’s innovative design also eliminates offensive fumes in the testing area and reduces sample waste.

For a quick sample turnaround and extended instrument life, Grabner Instruments developed Peltier Protection Technology, an advanced and fast thermoelectric heating and cooling regulation technology that extends the measuring temperature to well above 400°C and optimises performance and lifetime of the Peltier cooling.

Grabner Instruments has also developed Combustion Analysis to visualise the presence of contaminants and small concentrations of flammable compounds in samples. This gives users the opportunity to follow every millisecond of the flash combustion in unprecedented detail and makes the MINIFLASH suitable for flash-point testing of contaminated samples, biodiesel fuels and other difficult applications.