Energy from electrostatic discharges

Boschung, W. Hilgner, G. Luttgens, B. Maurer, and A. Wider, An Experimental Contribution to the Question of the Existence of Lightning-Like Discharges in Dust Clouds, Journal of Electrostatics (1977), 3 303-310. 

---

In order to determine which expls are capable of ignition by an electrostatic discharge of an energy amounted to 100000 ergs, or less it. is necessary to subject each prospective expl to the following energy requirement test . For this a layer of the expl is spread in thickness of 0.010 inch on a steel plate and is separated by a a short gap from a steel needle. This needle is so arranged that it can be thrown into a closed circuit with a condenser of known capacity, on... 

Results of tests giving the highest electrostatic discharge energies at 5000 volts for zero ignition propagation for various materials, are given in Table E6, which is complied from table 1 of Ref 4 and Table 3 of Ref 13... 

In " Introduction of Ref 35, t>p 2- 3 tc is stated that spark (See its definition and distinction from arc given on pp 4 -5 and under item Vin of this section) sensitivity testing can provide an important measure of the electrostatic. hazards associated with the handling of primary expls The threshold (or minimum) energy required for initiation is of particular concern. The usual approach.to determine this minimum energy is to discharge a capacitor thru a spark gap in or neat the expl and... 

The energy from an electrostatic discharge on an integrated circuit chip causes localized heating in the chip, which melts areas of silicon in the chip. This melting destroys the circuits engraved on the silicon. Temperatures have been known to reach 760°C at certain points on the chip. The temperature is highest at positions of restricted current flow on the chip (27). 

Powered wheelchairs have been reported to exhibit unintended movement. Wheelchair manufacturers and the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health (FDA-CDRH) have examined the susceptibility of powered wheelchairs and scooters to interference from radio and microwave transmissions. These devices are tested at frequencies ranging from 26 MHz to 1 GHz, which is common for transmissions (e.g., radio, TV, microwave, telephones, mobile radios). Power wheelchairs incorporate complex electronics and microcontrollers which are sensitive to electromagnetic (EM) radiation, electrostatic discharge (ESD), and other energy sources. 

From the above data it can be seen that copper azides are not significantly more sensitive than LA to mechanical stresses with just one exception—cuprous azide. This, however, does not apply to sensitivity to electrostatic discharge where copper azides are shown to be in most cases below the lowest possible limit obtainable with standard apparatus. The estimations of initiation energies by Lamnevik are 1—10 pJ [107], Holloway obtained 0.1-0.2 pJ for both CuNa and Cu(N3)2 [108],... 

---