Minimum ignition energy
Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) is the minimum amount of energy required to ignited a combustible vapor, gas or dust cloud, for example due to a electrostatic discharge. MIE is measured in joule (J). [1]
Explosives, hydrogen, unsaturated hydrocarbons and alkanes in oxygen have the lowest MIE - range of ×10−3 to ×10−1 (mJ). Alkanes in air, distillate fuels, hybrid mixtures and extremely sensitive dusts have a MIE range of ×10−1 to ×101 (mJ). Combustible dusts have a MIE range of ×101 to ×104 (mJ).
For most materials, the lowest ignition energy value occurs at a concentration near the midpoint between those for the lower flammable limit (LFL) and the upper flammable limit (UFL). [2]