Feasibility study on the use of fast camera and recording in time-domain to characterize ESD

Abstract

Fire and explosion protection in industrial conditions requires multidimensional approach. Usually the risk of hazardous zone creation is unavoidable, if the combustible material is processed. Therefore controlling of potential ignition sources is introduced. One of most popular sources of ignition is electrostatic discharge. Depending on the type of the discharge, as well as on exact discharge conditions, energy released might reach hundreds or even thousands of mJ, being able to ignite most of gaseous or dust-air hazardous mixtures. A dedicated methodology was created to record the discharge with fast camera with maximum speed of 1M fps and with the oscilloscope up to 25 GS/s. Dedicated test stand allows to obtain high voltage to create the conditions for electrostatic discharge. The aim of presented research was to analyze the course of electrostatic spark discharge in laboratory conditions and to place the outcomes in the context of explosion safety in the industrial conditions. The course of electrostatic discharge is dependent on various conditions: the polarity, distance between the electrodes, shape of electrodes, grounding conditions, etc. Understanding of the phenomenon is crucial from the point of view of explosion safety.