PreprintReviewVersion 2Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
A New Perspective on Hydrogen Chloride Scavenging at High Temperatures for Reducing the Smoke Acidity of PVC Cables in Fires. I: An Overview of the Theory, Test Methods, and the European Union Regulatory Status
Version 1
: Received: 11 August 2022 / Approved: 16 August 2022 / Online: 16 August 2022 (03:35:12 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 30 August 2022 / Approved: 31 August 2022 / Online: 31 August 2022 (03:32:07 CEST)
Sarti, G. A New Perspective on Hydrogen Chloride Scavenging at High Temperatures for Reducing the Smoke Acidity of PVC Cables in Fires. I: An Overview of the Theory, Test Methods, and the European Union Regulatory Status. Fire2022, 5, 127.
Sarti, G. A New Perspective on Hydrogen Chloride Scavenging at High Temperatures for Reducing the Smoke Acidity of PVC Cables in Fires. I: An Overview of the Theory, Test Methods, and the European Union Regulatory Status. Fire 2022, 5, 127.
Sarti, G. A New Perspective on Hydrogen Chloride Scavenging at High Temperatures for Reducing the Smoke Acidity of PVC Cables in Fires. I: An Overview of the Theory, Test Methods, and the European Union Regulatory Status. Fire2022, 5, 127.
Sarti, G. A New Perspective on Hydrogen Chloride Scavenging at High Temperatures for Reducing the Smoke Acidity of PVC Cables in Fires. I: An Overview of the Theory, Test Methods, and the European Union Regulatory Status. Fire 2022, 5, 127.
Abstract
In the European Union, according to the second basic requirement for construction works of Regulation (EU) n. 305/2011, cables permanently installed in residential and public buildings must be classified in terms of reaction to fire, smoke production, flaming droplets, and acidity. The classification is harmonized; nevertheless, every European Union country decides what kind of classification a cable must have to be installed in a specific location, depending on its fire risk, following the assumption that the higher the fire risk of the area, the higher the fire performance of the cable. According to Regulation (EU) n. 305/2011, the acidity is indirectly assessed by performing EN 60754-2, giving an additional class based on pH and conductivity measurements. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is one of the gases PVC cables release when they burn. In some applications out of the scope of the Regulation, acid scavengers are commonly used in special-grade PVC compounds to reduce the emission of acidic smoke. In this first part of the paper, the European rules on smoke acidity are presented, a review of the literature on HCl scavenging is performed, and an introduction on HCl scavenging at high temperatures is outlined. The paper shows how different experimental conditions and geometries of the test apparatuses used for assessing the smoke acidity can affect the emission of HCl in the gas phase and what critical issues affect the efficiency of acid scavengers at high temperatures in trapping HCl.
Keywords
acid scavengers; PVC; smoke acidity; cables
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Polymers and Plastics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Commenter: Gianluca Sarti
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author