OUR GREATEST ENEMY DURING THE WINTER: Static Electricity
Ellie Han (ISB 10)
A deeply thoughtful scholar, staff writer Ellie Han has a great interest in the scientific field.
In her second article for Buddy!, Ellie introduces a new style of writing to the Buddy! Edition I. In her informative piece “Our Greatest Enemy During the Winter: Static Electricity,” she satiates our curiosity for a phenomenon that many of us have been captivated by— static.
What is static electricity?
Many of you guys may have complained about static electricity. It is annoying, especially whenever you take off your sweater, comb your hair, or even touch the car door. I have a hard time tearing the hair stuck on my sweater off. These electric shocks are the main reason why we are scared of touching things in winter. The scientific phenomenon behind static electricity is straightforward. Small electrons inside atoms are light, and therefore have a property to move quickly. When friction occurs between objects, these electrons transfer promptly to another object. At this point, the object that has gained and lost electrons want to go back to their original state. They travel all over the place - more electrons want to go to the areas where fewer electrons are and vice versa. Just like other objects, our bodies also exchange electrons when we touch. From this process, static electricity is accumulated little by little. It stacks up for a while, and then the little sparks we hate occur when we come in contact with current.
But why do we experience static electricity more during the winter?
The reason why we experience more shocks in the winter has to do with the air moisture. Normally, there is more water in the air during the summer; however, during the winter, there is not enough water in the air. Compared to the temperature outside in the winter, the indoor temperature is much higher relatively, which makes the indoor moisture evaporate even faster. Even if it is very humid outside during the winter, when the air comes in and warms it up, it creates an arid condition.
How can we prevent static electricity?
The Riskiness of Static Electricity
Static electricity is the main culprit of fire. There are some cases of explosion due to a spark from static electricity. As the sudden voltage -- which makes electric charges move -- is high, when a flammable substance such as gas, dust, or oil meet it, it can make the situation very risky. According to the New York Times, "The National Fire Data Center, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has not studied the issue [—incidents occurred due to statistic electricity]. But the Petroleum Equipment Institute, a trade group, found that there were at least 170 static electricity fires at gas stations from 1992 to 2006" (Biederman).
(From Statter 911)
Solutions
Therefore, we can see efforts to prevent such accidents.
An earthing device of oil trucks that makes static electricity flow on the ground.
(From AlisonasiBlog)
Earthing touch pad from self-oiling station
(From Skinno News)
Benefits of Static Electricity
Even though static electricity seems useless, we can’t live without it.
Air conditioner
Recently static electricity is being used to catch fine dust from the air.
For example, Smog Free Tower in the Netherlands sucks in elements that move around in the air. This tower can catch smog particles through static electricity. Due to the tower’s flowing negative pole, an electrode — terminal that electric current enters or leaves in a battery or other electrical device— causes positive ions to stick to the tower.Mask
Just like the tower, our yellow dust mask or fine dust mask also works by the same principle; however, since static electricity works more effectively in dry condition, masks can hardly be reused because of the moisture from mouths.Wrap
Another example of an item that uses the static electricity phenomenon is wrap sheets which are often used to store our foods.
Static electricity sometimes helps us in many ways, but at the same time arouses problems if we are careless about it. We should be aware of what risky situations can arise and how we can prevent them from happening.
Citations:
https://www.statter911.com/tag/gas-station-fire/
http://alisonasiblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post_381.html
https://skinnonews.com/archives/8448
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/the-shock-of-static-electricity
https://news.joins.com/article/21466250
https://skinnonews.com/archives/8448
https://www.statter911.com/tag/gas-station-fire/
https://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=bemylove0609&logNo=221417158373&from=search&redirect=Log&widgetTypeCall=true&directAccess=false
https://blog.kepco.co.kr/26
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/automobiles/27STATIC.html