Investigations of industrial electrostatic hazards performed by Wolfson Electrostatics

Since 1971, investigations of industrial electrostatic problems in many countries have been performed by Wolfson Electrostatics, based at the University of Southampton, England. The investigations have been aimed at either eliminating electrostatic hazards, or exploiting electrostatic forces to aid industrial processes. The first type of investigation is the subject of this paper. The accumulation of electrostatic charge on metallic or plastic surfaces can give rise to numerous industrial problems. The electric fields set up by the charges can cause dust to deposit onto product surfaces, or result in handling problems such as wrapround and jamming, or cause damage to electronic devices. If the fields exceed the breakdown strength of air, then the resulting electrostatic discharges can cause fires and explosions, shocks and electronic component failure. Examples of industrial problems investigated by Wolfson Electrostatics and the remedial actions recommended are presented in this paper. The guiding principles have been to minimise charge accumulation and to maximise charge dissipation to ground. Some practical methods of achieving this are discussed, together with a review of the wide range of present-day static eliminators