STATIC ELECTRICITY AND ITS IGNITION HAZARDS

This report is based on the fundamental relations describing the charging process. The criteria for the assessment of ignition hazards are pointed out. Furthermore the possibility of ignitions due to discharges from spherical and cylindrical electrodes surrounded by space charges are investigated and explained in terms of the breakdown field strength as a function of the electrode radius. According to these considerations brush discharges from electrodes with radii of more than 5 mm and 3 mm, respectively, are incendiary. The applicability of the concept has been exemplified in the case of ignition hazards during washing of very large tanks with high pressure water jets. It is demonstrated that the recently widely discussed explosions in very large tankers occurring in late 1969 can be ascribed to static electricity.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at training session sponsored by Wilmington Section of the Instrument Society of America, Appeared in "Electrical Safety Practices", Monograph #113.
• Corporate Authors:

  Instrument Society of America

  400 Stanwix Street
  Pittsburgh, PA  United States  15222
• Authors:
  • Schon, G
• Publication Date: 1971-11

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 102-122
• Serial:
  • Publication of: American Chemical Society
  • Publisher: American Chemical Society

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cleaning; Electric discharge; Electrostatics; Storage tanks
• Old TRIS Terms: Electric corona; Explosive vapor ignition; Tank cleaning
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00054218
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Instrument Society of America
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 7 1974 12:00AM