Exothermic effects mortars

The moist sulfide readily oxidises in air exothermally, and may reach incandescence. Grinding in a mortar hastens this [1]. The impure sulfide formed when steel processing equipment is used with materials containing hydrogen sulfide or volatile sulfur compounds is pyrophoric, and has caused many fires and explosions when such equipment is opened without effective purging. Various methods of purging are discussed [2], Formation of pyrophoric FeS in bitumen tanks is considered as a cause of spontaneous ignition and explosion in the head space [3], A detailed study of formation of possibly pyrophoric sulphides from rust in crude oil tankers has been made [4],... 

In mortars originally formed with both ADP and STPP, there is a small endotherm around 70°C. At early times, e.g., 5 minutes, the superposition of exothermic and endothermic effects (at about 107°C) results in a double endotherm indicating the presence of schertalite. A small exothermic peak above 8 00°C may be due to the formation of Mg(P04)2 coincident with an endothermal effect due to the melting of Na4P20y formed from STPP. 

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