Static Electricity Hazards, Generation and Grounding in Industry
Static Electricity Hazards In Industry
It is common in industrial processes for potential to be more than 30 kV (for comparison, the batteries in many common electronic devices have a nominal voltage between 3 and 5 V). If two objects with different potential are brought close enough together, and their potential difference is sufficiently high, a spontaneous discharge of electrons called a spark will occur. This spark equalizes the potential between the objects as if they had been connected by a conductor.
Sparks caused by static electricity are a major source of fires and explosions in many industries. Sparks release energy that can ignite flammable or explosive materials. While hazards for fires may be obvious with flammable chemicals, industries where there is a lot of dust, like flour mills, can also be at risk for explosions due to electrostatic sparks.
Not only can sparks cause an ignition or explosion, they can also cause serious burns or stop someone’s heart.
Static hazards can be minimized by taking appropriate safety measures to control the accumulation of static charges. One of the important ways to control electrostatic buildup is by properly grounding and bonding equipment and containers.
In industry, static charge can be generated by machinery where there is any kind of friction or contact and separation, as well as in instances where there are rapid heat changes. People can build up their own charges simply by the friction created when they walk, so when they move within proximity to a machine, they can receive a shock or a spark can ignite flammable materials.
Some specific sources of static in industry will be discussed in more detail in this whitepaper. Most static electricity in industry results from operations that involve friction, such as:
- Liquid or powder flowing through a pipe, hose, or opening
- Blending or mixing
- Spraying or coating
- Filling operations
- Conveyer belts
Below is a video showing an explosion at a New York cosmetics factory caused by static electricity. In the video, a worker is wiping down a chemical tank before static electricity ignites a flammable liquid from the tank. Seconds later, the tank becomes engulfed in flames, with parts of the worker’s clothing catching on fire from the explosion.
Operations
Piping Systems, Filling Operations, and Loading/Unloading Liquids
Static electricity is generated when a low conductivity liquid (like oil or fuel) flows in a non-conductive pipe. This is especially dangerous when loading or unloading trucks with flammable liquids. Negative charges accumulate on the pipe walls, while positive charges are carried away with the liquid. Since the pipe is not conductive, it cannot dissipate the electrostatic charge, so it remains on the pipe wall. If there is flammable air in the pipe, it can be ignited by a discharge, commonly near the end of fill pipes at the filling point.
The charges in the pipe also create an electrostatic field around the pipe. This means that other objects outside the pipe like gaskets, flanges, clips, and bands can have a dangerous electrostatic potential unless properly bonded and grounded. Without proper grounding, discharges or sparks can jump from these objects to any conductive object of different potential, like grounded objects, tools, or people.
Coating and Dispersing Operations
The coatings industry uses electrostatic charges to apply substances like paint, clear coat, and powder coating to surfaces. This is especially common when painting cars, planes, and appliances. In this process, a spray gun adds a charge to the paint or powder as it comes out. Since the plastic or metal being painted is grounded, it attracts the charged particles. This creates an even coat with less waste.
Proper grounding in this procedure is of the utmost importance, as there is a high charge generation which can cause sparking and ignition. Ignition on the spray gun when the substrate is not effectively grounded can cause the spray gun to shoot flames, as the highly charged spray substance catches fire from the spark.
Human Movement
Any time two materials contact and separate, there is an exchange of electrons. This includes when a person is walking or moving: their arms rub against them as they walk, and their shoe soles interact with the floor’s surface, generating an electrical charge that accumulates on their body. This is called walking body voltage.
As demonstrated in the previous video, the second a person touches an object, any potential difference between their body and that object is discharged.
If the object is an electrical component, the spark can interfere with the circuitry and destroy the component. A spark caused by this discharge is also a danger if in proximity to anything flammable.
Grounding And Bonding
Bonding and grounding are effective methods for managing and reducing static electricity and thus minimizing the possibility of electrostatic sparks or ignition. The difference between the two is that bonding connects two objects together, while grounding connects an object with the earth.
Bonding connects two or more pieces of conductive equipment together using wires, cables, or other connecters in order to equalize their static charge. Sparks cannot occur between objects that are at the same electrostatic potential. Containers need to be connected even if they are touching, because paint or other coatings may reduce the conductivity. Simply touching another object does not guarantee an effective connection for static charge to transfer.
Grounding (or Earthing) is the best and safest way to discharge built-up static charge. To ground an object is to connect it to the earth via a grounding rod or electrode stuck in the ground. Grounding drains the static charges away as they are produced, removing excess charge by transferring electrons between the object and the earth. In this case, conductive materials or objects are connected to the earth via wires, clips, cables, and clamps. This is similar to bonding, except one of the objects is the ground itself.
Good connections are very important in grounding and bonding. Any object being grounded or bonded needs a conducting pathway for the charged electrons to travel along. Grounding prevents sparking between properly grounded objects and conductive equipment.
In potentially hazardous or flammable situations, all objects that are conductive but separated from ground by nonconductive equipment (like gaskets, hoses and piping, spray nozzles, thermometers, and probes) should be bonded. When an item is isolated from either the ground or a bond, it can become charged enough to cause a static spark.
Items such as drums and tanks can have their conductivity affected by paints, coatings, or a buildup of product. These coatings can be thick enough to keep electrostatic charges from dispersing altogether. The solution is to use a grounding assembly with clamps that can pierce paint for a good metal-on-metal connection.
The photo to the left shows one type of Mueller grounding assembly with a paint-piercing clamp on one end and a copper clip on the other. There are many different configurations of grounding/bonding assemblies, including different types of clips, clamps, and wire, which are selected based on the items and materials to bond/ground.
Some important criteria to remember when selecting a bonding/grounding assembly are:
- Does the item being grounded have a paint or coating that needs to be pierced for a good connection?
- What’s the environment that this is being used in? How rugged does the assembly need to be?
- What type of clip is needed? (flat, dimpled, or with teeth?)
- Are the objects being grounded stationary or do they need to move?
- What length of wire is needed?
- Is clean-ability important?
- Does it need to handle heat?
- Should the wire be insulated or non insulated?
- Does the wire need to be conductive for additional current to be carried?
Materials, Flooring and Clothing
Conductive flooring, shoe soles, and special clothing can dissipate static charges from a person as they walk and move.
The type of container (metal, plastic, etc) should be a safety consideration when storing and handling flammable materials. Insulating and non-conductive materials increase the risk of accumulating a charge.
Pictured here is an antistatic floor mat from Crown Mats.
Controlled Filling Speed and Relaxation Time
The higher the speed of liquids, the higher the generation of static charges. Splashing, sprinkling, and spraying should be avoided. Some operations may recommend a relaxation time depending on the substance being dispensed. Once dispensing is completed, it is best to wait before doing anything further to the equipment, such as opening or closing lids, cleaning, or taking samples. This relaxation time depends on the type of liquid; however, one minute is considered acceptable for many liquids.
