Answer to Question #167229 in Physics for Luca Giancola

Question

Flowing fluids, such as water, oil and air produce static charge why is it not as important to create static charge safety rules for handling flowing water as for handling air or oil?

Answer 1

Both air and oil are usually good electrical insulators so they don't provide a discharge path for any accumulating static charge. Fluids rubbing against the the inside of a pipe create a static charge on the pipe and themselves - the charge can accumulate on the pipe and reach dangerous voltages (electrocution or causing a spark that could ignite flammable vapours from oil, causing a fire or explosion)

Water is a sufficiently good conductor to enable the static charge to find a path through it to Earth where it is safely discharged. Water vapour wont ignite.