Static electricity,how it affects safety in operation of chemical plants?

Answer 1

Static Electricity is generated in all Industrial processes. It is recognised as a source of hazard and its capacity to ignite flammable materials, which can cause Fire and Explosion during handling of flammable gases, solvents, and powders in the chemical, pharmaceutical, petroleum, plastics, fertilizer, power plants and allied industries. The consequences could be serious and can pose risk to life and property, that is why it is imperative to have safety measures in place.

Answer 2

Static electricity can build up on a tank if you are filling it from overhead. To prevent this, make sure the tank is welded or bolted to a bonding or grounding wire that goes to a grounding rod somewhere that is at least 10 feet long, and that has been stuck in the ground, so only a few inches are sticking out of the ground. In some soil types a longer grounding rod is needed. If you are filling a truck or a rail car, make sure you have a metal clamp that you can clamp to the frame of the truck tank that also goes to a grounding rod. Grainger sells cool grounding clamps that have a retracting wire that coils up. The clamp part looks like the clamp on jumper cables. If flammable vapors are present in a tank that is charged with static electricity, an explosion could occur.

Answer 3

Consider you are dealing with a reactive ionic substance like a Grignard Reagent, you can very well imagine what a spark will do.

Answer 4

for the most part it's not a huge deal unless you work with electronics. there are enough fire supression stuf there to keep things under control, but there are antistatics in place in appropriate areas.