Hobbies And Interests
What Is Electrostatic?
Electrostatic is slow-moving or even stationary electric charges. Electrostatic discharge can take place when a pair of objects with different amounts of electrons encounter each other. This may sound complicated, but you actually experienced it the last time you received a static shock. Electrostatic becomes a problem when the charge jumps through the air, which takes place when lots of charge builds up on an insulator and travels a short distance in the air to reach an oppositely charged or neutral object. This is what's happening when you hear a crackling sound as you pull a shirt over your head. The synthetic fiber in the jumper is an insulator and so is your hair, the sound you hear is the charge jumping over to your hair.
When Is It a Danger?
A charge jumping through an air gap actually creates a spark; this becomes a danger when flammable liquid vapors are nearby. Adding fuel to cars or aircraft is perhaps the time that electrostatic is at its most hazardous. A spark created by a jumping charge in this situation could cause a large explosion, especially in aircraft because of the speed of the fueling.
How Is It So Dangerous?
If two insulators rub together, they can charge. So the friction between the pipe and the fuel can build up a charge. Of course, this can happen only if the pipe is an insulator; fuel is always an insulator. A charge could leap between the fuel tank and the pipe's nozzle as they get close to one another. This spark can ignite the fuel, and when this happens everyone around is in serious danger.
How to Make It Safe
Attaching a grounding strap to the nozzle gives the it the ability to conduct, meaning it directs and leaping charges away from danger. If a cable is also connected between the fuel tank and the pipe, the charge in both objects will be the same. Remember, charge can only escape to a neutral or oppositely charged object.