Safety evo
Life saving tips
- Proper design also can prevent this phenomena.
How can static electricity start a fire ? and what are the conditions needed for this event to occur?
Completing what we already initiated in the previous post about electrical safety toolbox talk.
We need to start explaining some related topics in deep.
Static electricity is one of these topics which is considered a very common unpredictable hazard.
This hazard can cause many unwanted event and cost many lives and asset damages.
Now we will discuss the following:
What is static electricity
Static electricity is simply accumulated electrical charges which are accumulated on the surface of a material.
It is different from the current electricity.
In the current electricity, the charge flows through an electrical conductor
while the static charges are generated on a non conductor material waiting to be evacuated.
This charge is accumulated until it is able to move through a conductor material
According to the NFPA, there are more than 280 fire incidents initiated due to static electricity.
So, now let us know how .
How can static electricity cause a fire
static electricity can be generated due to mobility of fluids, stirring, pumping in one condition,
this liquid need to be poor conductor.
A very common example is in the oil and gas storage and pipe lines
As we mentioned, these static charges are accumulated on the surface of a liquid,
The safe way is to evacuate the charges by a conductor to the earth. where the resistance is very low.
If this charge was not evacuated safely, it will jump to another surface in a form of a spark
If the spark was initiated in presence of a flammable material like Gasoline,
it acts as an ignition source. then a fire can be initiated.
Tree elements need to be present in order to start a fire.
These are called the fire triangle. (Oxygen, ignition source and fuel)
Our post today talks about static electricity as an ignition source.
Common examples of static electricity fires
A very common example can happen when a fuel truck is emptying inside a fuel station tank.
stirring of the liquid occur due to the movement of the truck on the road.
This can produce electrical charges on the surface of the fuel inside the truck.
As the liquid here is non-conductive, these charges are accumulated on the surface.
By opening the tank before the evacuation process, atmospheric oxygen enters the truck.
In this case, the tree elements of the fire triangle are together.
If the accumulated charge is enough to produce a spark, now the fire can start immediately.
This example may be able to explain how can static electricity start a fire .
Another very common example we can notice with our family at home,
Some types of wool blankets can produce a spark which can be even visible by friction.
How to prevent static electricity fire
To prevent any fire hazard, we simply need to avoid mixing the tree fire tringle elements.
There are many controls to achieve this goal.
- Always the first control has to be the proper awareness.
People need to be competent an fully aware about the surrounding hazards.
- Some equipment can prevent this by evacuating the accumulated charges
We can connect a cable or rod between the container and the earth.
This conductor rod will attract the accumulated charges to the ground where the resistance is very low
- Proper design also can prevent this phenomena.
A clear example is the floating roof tanks for oil and gas storage areas.
The roof moves according to the stored liquid level,
then there is no space for oxygen to exist with the flammable liquid.
- In some cases, inert gas injection can replace the oxygen to achieve proper inert environment inside the tank.
Now after this post let’s ask again,
Can static electricity start a fire ?
