Catching up with runaway hot plates

In recent years, there have been numerous reports of “runaway hot plates”. This is to say, hot plates that heat uncontrollably regardless of the temperature setting or whether the controls are in the off position. Some of these events have resulted in injuries to laboratory personnel and damage to r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS Chemical Health & Safety. 2019-03, Vol.26 (2), p.4-11
Main Authors: Pickel, Joseph M., Mathews, Mark, Brown, Kimberly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
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Summary:In recent years, there have been numerous reports of “runaway hot plates”. This is to say, hot plates that heat uncontrollably regardless of the temperature setting or whether the controls are in the off position. Some of these events have resulted in injuries to laboratory personnel and damage to research facilities. Investigations into the cause of several of these events have determined that failure of a non-mechanical switch, a “triac”, in the hot plate can result in the circuit failing open, causing uncontrolled heating. The number of events in recent years has led to greater awareness of the issue; however, in spite of this, devices utilizing this technology continue to be sold and used in research laboratories without additional controls to ensure their safety.
ISSN:1871-5532
1878-0504
DOI:10.1016/j.jchas.2018.10.001