What is static electricity and how to deal with it?

You probably encountered a definition of static electricity in a physics class. Next, we will briefly analyze what exactly this definition refers to, and also share our knowledge about why it arises and how to deal with this phenomenon in everyday life and in production. So, to your attention, the causes of static electricity and measures to combat it.

What it is?

The causes of this natural phenomenon are quite interesting. With the wrong balance inside the atom or inside the molecule and as a result of the loss (gain) of a new electron, static electricity arises. Normally, each atom should be in "equilibrium" due to the equal number of protons and neutrons in it. But in turn, electrons, moving from atom to atom, can form negative ions or positive ions. And in the absence of equilibrium, this natural phenomenon is obtained.

Electric shock hazard

You can find out more about what an electrostatic charge is and how to use it with benefit, in this video:

What is the danger of the phenomenon?

The main danger of static electricity is the risk of electric shock (we will talk about it below), but there is also a risk of fire. It is believed that not every production is at risk of fire, but directly to enterprises such as the polygraph, this is very dangerous, since they use solvents that are highly flammable in production.

Further, we would like to provide you with information about the factors that may cause this fire to occur:

  1. Energy, type and power of static discharge.
  2. The need for the presence of an environment that easily ignites.

The danger of this phenomenon and the rules for dealing with it are clearly demonstrated in a video example:

By the way, you should know that the negative effect of static electricity on the human body is not only injuries, but also disorders of the nervous system!

Causes and sources of occurrence

Today, we are confident that static electricity occurs due to several reasons, namely:

  1. Due to the presence of any contact between the surfaces of the 2 materials, followed by their separation from each other (for example, the friction of a rubber ball on a woolen sweater or in production when winding materials).
  2. The presence of ultraviolet radiation, radiation, etc.
  3. With a rapid temperature difference.

Most often, static electricity appears for the first reason. This procedure is not completely clear, but this is the most accurate explanation of all.

It's no secret that both in production and in everyday life this phenomenon occurs more often and to control it, you should accurately identify the area of ​​the problem zone and take measures to protect it.An interesting fact: this phenomenon can cause “sparking” around an object that has the ability to accumulate a charge of electricity. And you ask, what is the danger of this? And the fact is that with the accumulation of a large charge there is the possibility of defeating workers in production. To date, only 2 main causes of the impact of static electricity are known.

The first reason is induced charge. Provided that a person is in an electric field and if he holds on to a charged object, his body can be charged.

If protective boots with an insulating sole are on this person, then a charge of electricity will remain in him. But can the charge disappear? Of course, the reason for this will be the moment when he touches a grounded object. It is at this moment that the worker will receive an electric shock (at the moment of charge leakage to the ground). The described method of receiving electric shock is obtained if he has shoes insulating electricity on his feet. Indeed, when you touch a charged object, due to the shoe, the charge remains in the human body, and when it touches the object intended to protect it from it (to grounded equipment), the charge quickly passes through the human body and “strikes” with electric current. The emergence of this process is possible both in everyday life and in production, we can say that no one is protected from it. When exposed to synthetic carpets and shoes during the movement of a person, a charge of static electricity appears. Measures to combat this dangerous phenomenon in everyday life are demonstrated on the video:

Have you ever been hit by a discharge of electricity when exiting a car, you still do not know what to do in this case? This occurs when your hand is exposed to a metal door due to the “provocation” of a charge between your clothes and the seat when exiting the car. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the only way to get rid of this dilemma is to touch the door of the car so that the current through the car “descends” to the ground. There is no other easier way, how to remove static electricity from oneself.

The second cause of static electricity in the workplace is occurrence of a charge on the equipment. This type of electric shock happens quite rarely, unlike the above example.

Production discharge

So for your protection and for you to know how to get rid of this trouble, consider this whole process. Imagine that a certain object has an impressive charge of static electricity, it happens that your fingers have accumulated a charge in such an amount that there is a "breakdown" and as a result of this - a discharge. So here’s a little tip for you: for your protection in production, you need to wear rubber gloves (just in case). All electrical protective equipment in electrical installations up to 1000 Volts we reviewed in the corresponding article!

Measures and remedies

At a time when the question “how to remove” the danger of static electricity and organize protection against it is raised at the production site, many oil workers turn to the resolution of the State Technical Supervision Authority. It is known that absolutely all equipment that is grounded can be considered protected, even if the equipment has a metal case painted with paint.

Honestly, we have already discussed the protection of equipment from static electricity. How to deal with this phenomenon in the house and apartment is available in the video provided above. It is important to note that humidifiers are really good at removing electrostatic charge. About, how to choose an air humidifier for an apartment, we told in the corresponding article.

Another example of protection is stackers for cars.As a matter of fact, the stacker is just a “piece” of rubber attached to the machine so that on one side it touches the machine and the other the ground, a sort of “mobile earthing switch”. As a precaution, it is recommended to install stackers on the car, as shown in the photo below. This will remove any electrostatic charge that could harm you.

Stacker on a car

That's all I wanted to tell you about what are the causes of static electricity and what methods of dealing with this phenomenon exist today. We hope the information was useful and interesting for you!

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2 comments

  • Anton

    "Stekatel" for a car is not just a piece of rubber, because the author of the article in this case contradicts himself. Rubber is NOT a conductor, and therefore neither current nor statics “drain” through it. Although maybe the Chinese are selling "stackers" in the form of a piece of rubber to all dunno.
    In the correct “stacker”, inside the rubber, a piece of wire or a metal strip is connected from above to a plate or washer that will contact the body at the attachment point and touch the asphalt below, only in this case the static will “drain”. Rubber serves more as a weighting agent, so that the metal part does not always develop in the wind, and well, it wears a bit more slowly on the asphalt.

    To answer
    • Sahib

      Ahahaha, the two-footed.
      Now without emotion:
      Any electric current flows along the EXTERNAL surface of the conductor. This explains the cross-section of the wire when selecting conductive power, i.e. when selecting the diameter of the wire, it means the OUTSIDE AREA and not the internal section as the blondes believe. Simply put, the current does not flow IN THE WIRE, but ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE WIRE.
      As for static electricity, it has a different nature and accumulates (again on the surface) on dielectrics.
      Well then think for yourself if the topic is interesting.

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