Static Electricity (NFPA 77)

Conductive: Possessing the ability to allow the flow of an electric charge; typically, liquids possessing
a conductivity greater than 10 4 Pico siemens per meter (pS/m) or solids having a resistivity less than
105 ohmmeters (Ω-m).
Dissipative: A material incapable of retaining a significant amount of electrostatic charge when in
contact with earth. Liquids that typically possess a conductivity between10 2 pS/m and 104 pS/m or
solids that typically possess a resistivity between 10 5 Ω-m and 109 Ω-m.
Non-Conductive: A liquid is considered nonconductive (charge accumulating) if its conductivity is
below 50 pS/m, assuming a dielectric constant of 2 or solids that typically possess a resistivity
greater than 109 Ω-m.
Criteria Conductivity of liquids (pS/m) Resistivity of Solids (Ωm)
Conductive >104 <=105
Dissipative 102 – 104 105 - 109
2
Non-Conductive <10 >109

Combustible dust: Powders include pellets, granules, dust particles, and other particulate solids.
Pellets have diameters greater than 2 mm, granules have diameters between 420 μm and 2 mm, and
dusts have diameters of 420 μm or less. It should be noted that aggregates of pellets and granules
often contain a significant amount of dust.

The 4 Phenomenon related to static charge:

1. Separation of Charge: Static Charge can be separated on surface of materials by friction
between surfaces. The breakup of liquids by splashing and misting results in a similar charge
separation, Charge can also be injected into a stream of nonconductive fluid by submerging
within the stream a pointed electrode on which a high voltage has been present. Conductive
materials and even personnel can also get charged by inductive charging when brought near a
highly charged surface. Separation of electric charge might not in itself be a potential fire or
explosion hazard. There must be a discharge or sudden recombination of the separated charges
to pose an ignition hazard.
2. Accumulation of Static Charge: A static electric charge will accumulate where the rate at which
charges separate exceeds the rate at which charges recombine. Work must be done to separate
charges, and there is a tendency for the charges to return to a neutral state. This work is
expressed in terms of potential difference or voltage and depends on capacity of material to
store charge (Capacitance).
3. Relaxation time: The time during which the electrostatic charge on a solid surface, in the bulk
of a liquid or powder, or in a cloud of mist or powder, decays exponentially to 1/e (i.e. about 37
%) of its original value. Where recombining of charges occurs through a path that has electrical
resistance, the process proceeds at a finite rate, 1/τ, and is described by the charge relaxation
time or charge decay time, τ.
4. Electro-static Discharge: A Sudden Uncontrolled release of large amount of accumulated charge
is called an electrostatic discharge. This occurs when the static charge keeps accumulating on
surface until static charge density (electric field density) exceeds breakdown potential of
air/medium (3×106 volts/meter for air) between the charged surface and uncharged/grounded
surface.
One of the best protections from static electric discharge is a conductive or semi conductive
path that allows the controlled recombination of the charges.

Types of Electrostatic discharges are:

 Corona discharge is a low energy electrical discharge that results from localized electrical
breakdown of gases near sharp conductive edges, needle points, and wires (radius of curvature
less than 5mm).
Conditions for discharge: This type of discharge requires potential difference of several kilovolts
to get accumulated which is very unlikely.
Hazards of Ignition: It is not sufficiently energetic to ignite most of the materials except several
materials which has ridiculously small minimum ignition energy such as H 2, CS2.
 Brush Discharges appear as random filaments of light that make faint hissing or frying sounds. It
can occur between a conductor with radius of curvature in the range 5 to 50mm and either
another conductor or a charged insulating surface.
Conditions for discharge: This type of discharge requires potential difference of dozens of
kilovolts to get accumulated or an average electric field of 10 5 V/m
Hazards of Ignition: Brush discharges are sufficiently energetic to ignite gases and vapours and
some dust cloud which has low minimum ignition energy (less than several mJ)
 Cone Discharge or Bulking Brush Discharge can occur along the conical surface of the powder
heap during filling of a large silo with powder which has low conductivity.
Conditions for discharge: This type of discharge requires diameter of powder around 1~10mm
Hazards of Ignition: Cone discharges are sufficiently energetic to ignite gases and vapours and
some dust cloud which has low minimum ignition energy (less than 10 mJ).
 Spark Discharge can occur between two isolated conductors where one of them charged to
high potential while other one is at ground/low potential.
 Conditions for discharge: This type of discharge requires electric field strength higher than air
breakdown field strength (Closer the conductors, lesser the breakdown strength required and
more likely the discharge will occur)
Hazards of Ignition: Spark discharges are sufficiently energetic to ignite any gases and vapours
and some dust cloud.
 Propagating brush Discharge can occur between It can occur along the surface of thin insulating
layer backed by a conductor which is at ground/low potential. For example, non-conductive
hoses backed with metal rings. The friction of fluid flowing inside hose separates static charges
on surface
Conditions for discharge: This type of discharge requires thickness of insulator less than 8mm
and surface charge more than 250μC/m2.
Hazards of Ignition: Several joules of energy released from propagating brush discharges is
sufficiently energetic to ignite any gases and vapours and dust cloud.
 Lightening Discharge It can occur in a large container and a long spark jumps from the
electrostatically charged cloud to the grounded container wall.
Conditions for discharge: This type of discharge requires average of electric field more than
2.7×105 V/m. Generally, lightening discharge do not strike on vessels with volume less than 60
m3 or diameter less than 3 m.
Hazards of Ignition: Several joules of energy released from lightening discharges is sufficiently
energetic to ignite any gases and vapours and dust cloud.

For a static electric discharge to be a source of ignition, the following four conditions must be met:
a. An effective means of separating/generating charge must be present.
b. A means of accumulating the separated charges and maintaining a difference of electrical
potential must be available.
c. A discharge of the static electricity of adequate energy must occur.
d. The discharge must occur in an ignitable mixture.

Controlling Measures for Static Electricity for Storage of flammable liquids

1. After a container is transported, relaxation time should be given for charge to dissipate.
Grounding and bonding of metal containers should be done from before work starts to until it is
 completed. Care must be taken that drum transporters and other mobile equipment does not
become floating (Isolated) conductors.
2. Grounding of metal pipes, bonding across flanges (jumpers), earthing of
reactors/agitators/process vessels/storage tanks/level float, etc. which handle conductive
liquids. (For non-conductive liquids grounding and bonding may not be effective as localised
accumulation of charges is still possible.)
3. A common precaution is to require that fill pipes (downspouts) reach as close to the bottom of
the tank as practicable. Any operation such as sampling, taking oil temperature, or gauging that
involves lowering a conductive object through an opening into the vapor space on the oil should
be deferred until at least 1 minute after flow has ceased.
4. Portable tanks and IBCs constructed of nonconductive materials are prohibited for use with
Class I liquids by NFPA 30 except under very strict conditions. Where liquid is dispensed from an
upright drum, the dip pipe, conductive hose, and pump should be bonded to the drum and
grounded.
5. The portable tank or IBC should be bonded to the fill system prior to opening and should be
closed before being disconnected from the bond. Filling rates should be similar to those
normally used for drum filling, about 225 L/min or less, unless the container is inerted. Refilling
a vessel that could contain flammable vapours from a previous product should not be
permitted.
6. A dip pipe should be used for overhead filling and a horizontal tee should be used for bottom
side entry filling nonconductive liquid into the storage tank and flow velocities should be less
than 1m/s
7. Storage tanks for nonconductive liquids should be grounded and enough relaxation time should
be given after it is filled with liquid.
8. Tanks constructed of nonconductive materials are not permitted for storage of Class I, Class II,
and Class IIIA liquids, except under extraordinary circumstances.
9. FIBCs - Type A FIBCs should not be used for powder or granular materials that have an MIE of
less than 1000 mJ. Type B FIBCs should not be used for powder or granular materials that have
an MIE of 3 mJ or less.

Controlling Measures for Static Electricity for process plants

10. The initial flow velocity limit (1m/sec or less) adhered to. Relaxation pipe should be installed, as
necessary.
11. Filter cloth with highly insulating properties should not be used in open systems. Funnels,
pumps and the like with insulating properties should not be used in the handling of flammable
liquids with conductivities of 108S/m or less.
12. Deactivation measures should be used when fine powders are introduced into flammable
liquids unless agreement can be obtained from safety experts. The possibilities for changing the
order of loading (loading the fine powder first) should be investigated.
13. Where an ignitable mixture is contained, such as in a processing vessel, the atmosphere can be
made oxygen deficient by introducing enough inert gas (e.g., nitrogen or combustion flue gas)
to make the mixture nonignitable.
14. Mechanical ventilation can be used to dilute the concentration of a combustible material to a
point well below its lower flammable limit (LFL), in the case of a gas or vapor, or below its
minimum explosible concentration (MEC), in the case of a dust.
15. Where equipment that can accumulate a static electric charge is unnecessarily located in a
hazardous area, it might be possible to relocate it to a safe location rather than to rely on other
means of hazard control.
16. To prevent the accumulation of static electricity in conductive equipment, the total resistance
of the ground path to earth should be enough to dissipate charges that are otherwise likely to
be present. A resistance of 1 megohm (10 6 ohms) or less generally is considered adequate.
17. Where the bonding/grounding system is all metal, resistance in continuous ground paths
typically is less than 10 ohms. Such systems include those having multiple components. Greater
resistance usually indicates that the metal path is not continuous, usually because of loose
connections or corrosion. A permanent or fixed grounding system that is acceptable for power
circuits or for lightning protection is more than adequate for a static electricity grounding
system.
18. Temporary ground connections can be made using bolts, pressure-type ground clamps, or other
special clamps. Pressure-type clamps should have enough pressure to penetrate any protective
coating, rust, or spilled material to ensure contact with the base metal.
19. The humidity of the surroundings can control the surface resistivity of many materials. At
humidity of 65 percent and higher, the surface of most materials adsorbs enough moisture to
ensure a surface conductivity that is enough to prevent accumulation of static electricity. While
humidification does increase the surface conductivity of the material, the charge will dissipate
only if there is a conductive path to ground.
20. Fill pipes should extend to the bottom of the vessel and can be equipped with either a 45-
degree cut tip or a tee to divert flow horizontally near the bottom of the vessel being filled. The
design should prevent upward spraying during the initial stage of filling. A “slow start” might be
necessary, so that the inlet velocity is held to less than 1 m/sec until the outlet of the dip pipe is
covered by at least two pipe diameters of liquid.
21. Common industry practice is to provide 30 sec of residence time in the pipe or conductive hose
downstream of the microfilter, especially if the conductivity of the liquid is not known.
22. Air, steam, or other gases should not be used for agitation because they can produce high levels
of charge in liquids, mists, or foams. In addition, air agitation can create an ignitable
atmosphere in the vapor space of the tank.
23. For Glass lined reactors/process vessels, agitators shall be conductive and inert atmosphere
should be provided. Liquid should be filled slowly, and J-bend can be used to direct liquid on
vessel walls to reduce turbulence.
24. A metal plate should be installed to provide a path through which charge can flow from the
liquid contents to ground. The metal plate should have a surface area not less than 500 cm 2/m3
of tank volume and should be located at the bottom of the tank and bonded to ground.
25. Steam cleaning can create very large charge densities with correspondingly large space charge
potentials that increase with the size of the vessel.
26. Manual addition of solids (powder) through an open port or manway should be done only in 25
kg batches. Batch additions larger than 25 kg should be done through an intermediate hopper
with a rotary valve or an equivalent arrangement. Dust collection system should be provided
over the hopper.
27. Unloading Bags should be constructed of static-dissipative plastic or paper. Paper bags
containing a nonconductive coating on the inside surface are acceptable provided the coating is
less than 2 mm thick. Because grounding clips can be impractical, such bags can be effectively
grounded by contact with a grounded conductive vessel or loading chute or through a grounded
operator
 28.

Controlling Measures for Static Electricity for material handling

29. Conductive or static dissipative flooring should be provided for effective dissipation of static
charge from personnel who are bonded to the floor. Resistance to earth from the floor should
be maintained less than 108 Ohms.
30. Static Dissipative Footwear used in conjunction with conductive or static dissipative flooring
provides a means of control and dissipate static electric charges from the human body.
Resistance to earth from footwear should be maintained less than 10 6 Ohms.
31. Where static dissipative footwear will not provide adequate personal grounding, supplementary
devices like wrist strap/ heel/ toe grounders. Simplest type of device is grounding bracelet with
built in resistor typically giving a resistance to ground of 10 6 Ohms. Static dissipative clothing
should be used made up of cotton or other static dissipative material.
 Note: Personal grounding will be useful when there is a probability of ignition due to static
discharge generated from operating person. Static dissipative footwear, clothing and other
supplementary devices would be ineffective, if they are not in conjunction with Static dissipative
flooring.
Note: Personal grounding along with static dissipative flooring would result in zero potential on
operating person, if the operating person touches or comes in close proximity to a high potential
surface (for example an ungrounded equipment with static charge accumulation), they might
experience a shock due to electro-static discharge. To prevent this, the equipment or surface
must be in equal potential to the operator which can be achieved by grounding (best case – will
have zero potential).
32. Inductive neutralizers such as needle bars which are grounded metal bars equipped with series
of needle like emitters can be used near charged surfaces. A charge drawn from ground to
needle like tips produces a distortion/ concentration in electric field at the tips. If the tips are
sharply pointed the electric field is enough to produce a localized electrical breakdown of air
leading to charge neutralization.
They are inexpensive and easy to install but require a minimum potential difference between
object and needle tip to initiate corona and neutralizing process. In absence of this minimum
potential difference, a residual potential of few thousand volts will be left on the object surface
where sharp inductive points are within 12 mm of the surface.
It is critically important that the inductive neutralizers are connected to secure ground,
otherwise sparks from induction bar can occur.
33. Electrically powered static neutralizers can also be used to produce an oppositely charged high
voltage corona discharge from sharp electrodes. During electrical failure or short circuit, they
can act as passive inductive neutralizers. But it is important to know what type of charge is
getting generated on surface. This can be identified using triboelectric series.
Note: The performance of these neutralizers depends on positioning. The neutralizers should be
placed closer to the position where static charge generation occurs. For example, in conveyor
belts, neutralizers should be placed near the roller where the belt and roller get separated.
34. If a charge accumulation cannot be avoided and no flammable gases or vapours are present,
consideration should be given to methods by which contact with un-earthed metal parts (if
point no. 1, 2, 3 are not applicable then contact with earthed metal parts as well) can be
eliminated.
35. Humidity significantly reduces charge accumulation by attracting the accumulated charge on to
moisture and dissipating them to ground. Humidifiers which maintain humidity at around 55-
60% can be provided.
36. Anti-Static touch pads should be provided before entering the room/ area to discharge
operating personnel entering or exiting the area. When a person enters an electric field
generated due to presence of static charges, static charges are induced on their body. If the
density of these induced charges is remarkably high, using the anti-static touch pads may result
in static shock to the personnel. Hence Charge relaxation time should be given to reduce charge
density on personnel before using touch pad.
37. Anti-static additives can be used in solvents and for making the rubber sheets which dissipate
the charges easily and do not alter with properties. Examples of such anti-static additives are
long chain aliphatic amines, poly-ethylene glycol esters, polyols, glycerol monostearate, carbon
black, conductive fibres, nano materials, ionic liquids, Stadis 425 and 450, etc.
38. Industrial machines that generate heat can encourage static by creating their own dry micro-
climates. Heat dries the air so a room with an overall humidity of 60%RH at 18°C may have
localised dry air pockets by hot machines of less than 45%RH. If this machine also produces the
friction required for static build-up, then there is a potential for static charge accumulation.
Where this is the case, localised spray systems can be employed to raise the humidity in the
local area. Individual nozzles located directly on machines can ensure temperature gains do not
encourage dry air and therefore static build-up. While humidification does increase the surface
conductivity of the material, the charge will dissipate only if there is a conductive path to
ground.
Note: Humidification is a not a cure-all for static electricity problems. Some insulators do not adsorb
moisture from the air; high humidity, therefore, will not noticeably decrease their surface resistivity.
Examples of such insulators are uncontaminated surfaces of some polymeric materials, such as
plastic piping, containers, and films, and the surface of petroleum liquids. These surfaces can
accumulate a static electric charge even when the atmosphere has a humidity of 100 percent.