Mitigation of Electrostatic Ignition Hazards during the Bulk Loading and Fueling of Road Tankers, Railcars and Public Transportation Vehicles.

This presentation will aid engineers, operations managers and safety professionals in their understanding of the root causes of static electricity and why it can present as a potential ignition source during the transfer of hydrogen in bulk loading and fueling operations for road tankers, rail cars and public transportation vehicles. It will provide a general overview of industry guidance relevant to static electricity, including the requirements outlined in Part 1 of ISO 19880-1 “Gaseous hydrogen – Fueling Stations”, (2020). The presentation will also address aspects of the hazardous area product certification requirements for hydrogen gas atmospheres as per the IEC 60079 series of explosive atmosphere equipment standards. The presentation will finish with some practical examples of good static control practices that can be used to support SOPs designed to mitigate against the unwanted accumulation of static electricity on the transportation vehicle undergoing the hydrogen fueling operation.