> There have been several discussion about the possibility of static discharge
> causing a fire while refueling.
> Many years ago I recall seeing a film on solvent safety cans. In the film
> the speaker was lighting a fire at the spout of solvent cans while inside
> a hanger at Idewild Airport. For you younger guys this is now JFK. He was
> able to do this because the spouts on the cans had a wire mesh inside the
> spout. I am wondering if this would be a viable precaution to take with our
> Europas
> Any thoughts or experience.
>
> John, A230
Fuel is nonconductive, so I can't see what it has to do with static. But the
mesh can aerate the fuel which then creates static inside the tank. An FAA
directive on fuel systems discusses aeration and big airplanes planes whose
pressure-fueling plumbing systems may not be fully conductive.
The flame won't ignite the fuel vapor if the mixture ratio is out of a
specific range, not that the above stunt was just a parlor trick, but how the
mesh can safely alter the ratio isn't intuitive. Given the product liability
situation in the U.S., if 10-cents worth of mesh did anything to prevent one
$10-million judgment for a badly disfiguring, personal injury, you'd think all
gas cans would be like that.
Regards,
Fred F.
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