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Back to the OSAC Lexicon

Spontaneous Heating

process whereby a material in- creases in temperature without drawing heat from its surroundings. NFPA 921, 3.3.187 

DISCUSSION—Spontaneous heating is usually an exothermic oxidation reaction, which is frequently initiated by oxygen in air.

Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E3197-23 Standard Terminology Relating to Examination of Fire Debris. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2023. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org