Review Paper: Electrostatic Hazards in the Process Industries
Process Safety and Environmental Protection (Transactions of the
Institution of Chemical Engineers, Part B), 82 (82):
132--141 (2004)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1205/095758204322972771
Abstract
Static electricity continues to be the cause of fires and explosions
in the process industries. A major problem is the lack of understanding
of the fundamentals of electrostatics, and even the common misconception
that static electricity is unpredictable. This paper provides a short
overview of the subject of electrostatic hazards. It includes a discussion
of some of the basic concepts, and also covers some of the ways in
which static hazards can be addressed. Some of the issues are illustrated,
and further developed, with reference to a range of realistic processing
scenarios.