Importance
The significance of electrical resistivity of powders and dusts in the context of process
safety is dual. First, the possibility of accumulating hazardous electrostatic charges and
voltages in an industrial process increases with increasing electrical resistivity of the dust.
Secondly, the chances that dusts which penetrate into electric and electronic equipment
give rise to short circuits and equipment failure, increases as the dust resistivity decreases.
From the point of view of the dust explosion hazard, both of these situations may lead to
generation of ignition sources.
Bibliography
IEC 61241-2.2: Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust,
section 2: Method for determining the electrical resistivity of dust in layers.
Entwurf DIN VDE 0170/0171 Teil 1502: Elektrische Betriebsmittel zur
Verwendung in Bereichen mit brennbarem Staub - Teil 2: Untersuchungs-methoden
- Hauptabschnitt 2: Methode zur Bestimmung des elektrischen Widerstandes von
Staubschüttungen
R.K. Eckhoff, Dust explosions in the process industries (1997)