Static discharge hazard in explosive atmospheres

Abstract

Explosive atmospheres can exist in many environments including industrial, commercial and residential locations. If an electrical discharge such as a switching arc or the spark from a static discharge occurs in an explosive atmosphere with the necessary minimum energy to ignite the fuel present, an explosion may result. This paper describes a situation that can exist for the static discharge ignition of gasoline vapor during a refueling process. A case is described which resulted in an explosion and ignition of gasoline at a commercial service station while a vehicle was being refueled. A live video recording was made of the incident and is presented along with this paper. A general discussion of the static discharge hazard in explosive atmospheres is presented.