ABEL test apparatus
The apparatus is used for testing chemical stability of gun propellants, nitrocellulose and other organic nitrates by Abel Test.
In the Abel Test, the sample is heated under standardized conditions in a test tube until nitrogen oxides above the sample are detected by means of a standard iodide-starch test paper. The time elapsed from the start of heating until the detection is recorded as a chemical stability value.
The device consists of a heating block made of aluminium with 10 internal holes for glass test tubes allowing to measure 10 samples with individual time of exposure for each sample.
The temperature of the heating block is controlled by a temperature controller within 0.2 °C of the desired temperature (typically 82 oC). The test temperature may also be set type-specifically in range from 30 to 180 °C.