Manifestations of Static Electricity Hazards in Industry
Static electricity poses several hazards to industry, primarily in the following ways:
1. Causing Combustion and Explosion Accidents
Measurements show that when an average man stands on an insulated floor and removes a synthetic wool sweater, his body's electrostatic potential can reach 8200 volts, with a charge of 0.95 microcoulombs and accumulated electrostatic energy of 3.9 millijoules. This energy is many times greater than the minimum electrostatic ignition energy of gasoline (0.21 millijoules) and black powder (0.19 millijoules). If an electrostatic discharge spark occurs, it poses a risk of combustion and explosion.
2. Damage to Electronic Components and Disruption of System Operation
In today's computer age, static electricity is a major hidden danger for the electronics industry and users of various electronic appliances. The anti-oxidation film in some large-scale integrated circuits is only a few ten-thousandths of a centimeter thick. IC circuits can be broken down under hundreds of volts, and MOSFETs can be destroyed by even a few tens of volts. If exposed to static electricity from the human body or other weak electrostatic discharges, they can be destroyed like a large building collapsing under lightning strikes. Therefore, industrial products based on large-scale integrated circuits, such as computer industrial automation controllers, must be protected against the damage caused by static electricity. It has been reported that before effective prevention and control of static electricity hazards, the US electronics industry suffers losses of hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to damage to IC circuits caused by static electricity. Furthermore, computer microprocessors can lose memory or malfunction due to electrostatic discharge, resulting in the loss of existing information and disrupting normal system operation.
3. Impact on Product Quality
In the manufacturing of electronic components and the printing of film, electrostatic discharge can cause unexpected malfunctions or defects, preventing them from meeting quality standards.
4. Disruptions to Normal Production
In industrial production such as textiles, printing, film, and papermaking, fibers, paper, and films can stick together due to static electricity, causing production problems.
5. Discomfort from Electric Shocks and Even Secondary Accidents
Prolonged exposure to static electricity can cause various illnesses; static discharge from the human body can cause electric shocks and numbness. If the person is in a high position or in contact with hazardous materials, secondary accidents may occur.
Static electricity is mainly generated by the friction between different substances and is widely present in nature, industrial production, and people's daily lives. In the electronics industry, the miniaturization and high integration of electronic product design, along with increasingly fine, precise, and thin processing technologies, make the hazards of static electricity undeniable. In the production process of electronics factories, the hazards caused by static electricity are multifaceted.