Minimunm Ignition Energy (MIE)

Definition:

The minimum ignition energy (MZE) is the smallest electrical power stored in a condenser, which sufficiently ignites an ignitable mixture of a combustible atmosphere by an electrical discharge. The MIE is determined under prescribed test conditions.

Testing Method:

according to BG Chemie R 003 6/2000

Further information see also Fire and Explosion Protection. A description of the testing method (german version) you can download here.

Safety-relevant meaning:

The MZE is one of the evaluation criteria for the ignition effectiveness of ignition sources. For inflammable gases and steams in air it lies predominantly within the range of 0,1 to 1 mJ.  Because in this energy region (see MIE of Solids and Dusts) potential ignition sources are usually judged uniformly, normally  it is not necessary to measure the MZE of combustible gases and steams.