Spontaneous combustion
Type of combustion caused by a self-perpetuating increase in internal temperatures / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the spontaneous combustion of humans, see Spontaneous human combustion. For other uses, see Spontaneous combustion (disambiguation).
Spontaneous combustion or spontaneous ignition is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high temperatures) and finally, autoignition.[1] It is distinct from (but has similar practical effects to) pyrophoricity, in which a compound needs no self-heat to ignite. The correct storage of spontaneously combustible materials is extremely important considering improper storage is the main cause of spontaneous combustion. Materials such as coal, cotton, hay, and oils should be stored at proper temperatures and moisture levels to prevent spontaneous combustion.