Understanding and managing static electricity problems in bagging and packaging
Static electricity can cause problems at almost any stage of a bulk solids processing operation. During bagging and packaging, static electricity can be particularly troublesome. This article discusses sources of static electricity, how static electricity can cause problems in bagging and packaging operations, and how to solve bagging and packaging problems caused by static electricity. The final section presents four typical bagging and packaging problems and potential solutions.
The main source of static electricity is triboelectrification, or triboelectric charging, which occurs when two different materials make and then break contact. Particles typically become electrostatically charged when they contact a storage vessel or other process equipment, which occurs in almost all bulk solids processes. Particles can become very highly charged when the process causes frequent and violent contact between the particles and the vessel or equipment, as in pneumatic conveying.