Minimum Ignition Energy apparatus
(Mike 3)
For an assessment of the hazard situation in dust-processing installations, knowledge of the minimum ignition energy is indispensable. This value can possibly determine the extent and hence the cost of protective measures.
The minimum ignition energy (MIE) is the lowest energy value of a high-voltage capacitor discharge required to ignite the most ignitable dust/air mixture.

A modified Hartmann tube made of glass with a volume of 1.2 liter is used as the explosion vessel. The dust dispersion system at the base of the tube is of the "mushroom-shaped" type around which the sample is loosely scattered. A blast of compressed air at 7 bar is used to disperse the dust in the glass cylinder where it is ignited by a spark between two electrodes.

Energy range: 1mJ ... 1000mJ

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Experiments have shown that dust/air mixtures can easily have MIE values less than 10 mJ. The measurement range of the MIKE 3 has thus been extended to lower energy values. The high-voltage component has been specially designed for the low ignition energies. Thanks to pneumatically actuated high-voltage switches, the parasitic capacitances have been reduced by an order of magnitude.

MIKE-Software, Version 3.3 f
-  32-bit software
- calculation of the statistic energy (Es)
- this software is running under Windows 95 / 98 / NT / 2000 / ME / XP / Vista
- Help-files in English and German language are included.

Freeware "ExTools"
a toolbox for the safety expert. Download the program from the page: ExTools