Electrostatic Testing
Learn more
Electrostatic Hazards Services
DEKRA Process Safety provides industries in many business sectors with years of collective experience in the highly specialized areas of electrostatic hazards, safety and operational issues and applications.
Static electricity is everywhere! Here are some sources to consider:
- Electrostatic sparks from people, equipment and products can cause fires and explosions when combustible dust clouds or flammable vapors exist in air.
- Charged powders cause handling problems.
- Powerful electrostatic discharges can cause damage to glass and PTFE lined equipment
- Charge accumulation negatively affects film and web handling in converting operations.
- Electrostatic forces also have many beneficial applications such as photocopying, ink jet printing, coating, painting and air pollution control.
If your organization needs consulting assistance in evaluating electrostatic ignition hazards, or equipment and product handling issues, DEKRA Process Safety has Subject Matter Experts in this field who can assist you. Our experienced consultants can offer cost-effective electrostatic consulting services and pragmatic advice regarding electrostatic hazards and operational problems.
Electrostatic Hazards Control
To reduce the hazard of explosion, fire, product and equipment electrostatic damage, we undertake:
- Electrostatic Hazards Assessments
- Incident Investigation
- Laboratory Testing such as Dust Explosion and Electrostatic Properties, Conductivity, Resistivity, Charge Decay Time and Chargeability, and Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC) Electrostatic Testing.
- Pragmatic Solutions for Tactical Processing Electrostatic challenges
Our Electrostatic Hazard Control Services are aligned with current editions of
- NFPA 77: Recommended Practice on Static Electricity
- API RP 2003: Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning, and Stray Currents
- IEC 60079-32-1:“Electrostatic hazards – Guidance
DEKRA Process Safety also provides governmental agencies with access to consulting, testing, and research services in this highly specialized field.
Electrostatic Processing Challenges
To solve your process material handling problems, we undertake on-site measurements, perform troubleshooting and investigations. We can also perform laboratory testing services for chargeability, resistivity, charge decay time and humidity effects. We can also help you with charge elimination and control.
Specialized Electrostatic Consulting Services
DEKRA Process Safety has decades of pragmatic experience coupled with the use of industry codes and standards. We can also provide help in the form of:
- Expert witness services
- Environmental Applications (e.g. electrostatic precipitators)
Electrostatic Hazards Training
DEKRA Process Safety offers off-the-shelf and customizable Electrostatic Hazards Training that could be tailored specifically to your organization’s needs. This training includes multiple options – from one-hour introduction webinars, to eight-hour in-depth seminars.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you with electrostatics hazards!
Electrostatic hazards develop when static electricity accumulates and produces a discharge capable of igniting flammable gases, vapors, combustible dusts, or other hazardous atmospheres. In industrial environments, these electrostatic discharge hazards can create significant fire and explosion risks when charge generation and accumulation are not properly controlled.
Static electricity is generated when materials come into contact and then separate. Industrial activities that may produce static electricity hazards include powder conveying, pneumatic transport, mixing, blending, filtration, liquid transfer, filling operations, and the movement of materials through process equipment. The amount of charge generated depends on the materials and process conditions involved.
Electrostatic discharges can become ignition sources when combustible dusts, flammable liquids, gases, or vapors are present. If the discharge energy exceeds the material’s minimum ignition energy, a fire or explosion may occur. Identifying electrostatic ignition hazards is therefore an important part of process safety and fire and explosion risk management.
Electrostatic hazards can affect chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, food processing, powder handling, plastics manufacturing, battery production, oil and gas, coatings, and other industries that handle combustible dusts or flammable materials. These operations may benefit from electrostatic consulting when their processes generate, transfer, or accumulate static charge.
An electrostatic hazard assessment evaluates where static electricity could be generated, accumulated, and discharged within an industrial process. This static electricity risk assessment identifies potential ignition sources, examines the materials and operating conditions involved, evaluates existing safeguards, and recommends measures for reducing or eliminating electrostatic risks.
Common causes of electrostatic ignition include inadequate grounding and bonding, insulating materials, nonconductive containers, powder transfer operations, liquid filling processes, pneumatic conveying systems, and uncontrolled process conditions. These situations can allow static charges to accumulate and create electrostatic discharge hazards capable of igniting a combustible atmosphere.
Electrostatic hazards may be controlled through effective grounding and bonding, appropriate equipment design, humidity control, conductive materials, charge dissipation methods, process modifications, and ignition source management. Electrostatic safety consulting can help determine which controls are suitable based on the materials, equipment, and operating conditions within a specific process.
Electrostatic testing measures specific material characteristics, such as conductivity, resistivity, charge relaxation, and discharge behavior. An electrostatic hazard assessment combines those test results with process information to identify electrostatic ignition hazards, evaluate potential consequences, and determine which safeguards are appropriate for the operation.
An organization should consider an electrostatic hazard assessment when introducing new materials, modifying processes, handling combustible dusts, transferring flammable liquids, investigating incidents, or completing a process hazard analysis. Electrostatic consulting may also be appropriate when addressing fire and explosion risks connected to regulatory or insurance concerns.
Yes. Electrostatic discharges can ignite combustible dust when the dust is dispersed in the air and the discharge contains sufficient energy. Because electrostatic ignition hazards may initiate a fire or dust explosion, evaluating static charge generation and discharge is an important part of combustible dust risk management.
