Electrostatic Earthing

Safe discharge and Monitoring

The most frequent cause of electrostatic charge in process plants is charge carryover when filling containers such as fuel tankers, tank wagons, barrels, big bags or intermediate bulk containers (IBC). An electrostatic discharge can produce a spark, which can cause an ignitable mixture of combustible gases and dusts to ignite. Discharge in potentially explosive atmospheres must therefore be avoided. The most important countermeasure is a safe discharge by means of potential equalisation or electrostatic earthing.

Earth monitoring devices are increasingly being used on portable containers to establish and simultaneously monitor this connection. In this critical loading area, the connections are subject to a high mechanical load, which can lead to interruptions. Earth monitoring devices are able to detect insufficient discharge, notify the user accordingly and wherever necessary, interrupt the loading process.