Self-heating (often called spontaneous combustion) is a condition where internal heat generation from a material exceeds its capacity to dissipate the heat, resulting in increased temperature and ignition of the material.
A common type of self-heating involves agricultural products, such as hay or silage. Under certain storage conditions, hay will self-heat, ignite, and cause damage to buildings and property. During the fermenting process in a silo, heating of silage can get out of hand and a fire will ensue.
It should be noted that when the fire department arrived, no action was taken. Since other buildings were not in jeopardy, the fire department indicated that the fire would eventually burn itself out. Adding water to the contents in the silo would put the fire out temporarily but would eventually rekindle if the contents were not removed.
What has happened here is that internal heat generation from the fermentation of the biomass in the silo has gone undetected, causing ignition of the contents of the silo. Thermocouple temperature monitors, which are available to monitor heating in silos and grain bins, were not present in this case.
The fire in this silo caused severe damage to the electrical auger system and other hardware in the silo. Thermal cracking of some of the reinforced blocks also occurred. The electrical power to the silo had been disconnected at an outside electrical panel prior to the fire, eliminating an electrical malfunction as a cause. There was no lightning in the area at the time the fire started.
A fire-related claim may result from a fire caused by self-heating of agricultural products, which may or may not be a covered peril. Identifying the existence of self-heating depends on the remaining evidence after a fire. In some instances, very little evidence remains. The following is a check list:
- Check for electrical or mechanical malfunctions.
- Check for environmental effects, such as lightning.
- Check thermocouple data for increased temperature trends.
- Use an infrared camera to visualize thermal patterns if the smoldering is still occurring.
- Check moisture level readings prior to storage.
- Determine if the storage area is confined, thereby limiting heat dissipation.
Charles C. Roberts, Jr., is president of C. Roberts Consulting Engineers, Inc. He may be reached at 877-556-3039.
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