Bud & Frans=0AI still believe the urethane breather tube is a static genera
tor, especially the 1/4" dia. one because air and fuel droplets are rushing
=0Aup it during refueling, the vapour and droplets of fuel are charged up w
hen the exit the breather. Nearest relief point to ground is your hand.=0AI
always fitted a 3/8" D aluminum breather which makes refueling easier too.
=0AGraham=0A=0A=0A________________________________=0A From: Bud Yerly <budy
erly@msn.com>=0ATo: europa-list@matronics.com =0ASent: Sunday, 13 January 2
013, 1:02=0ASubject: Re: Europa-List: Grounding & Fuelling=0A =0A=0A =0AFra
ns,=0AI agree.- I believe that the wet rag idea is the same as touching w
ith =0Ayour bare hand and then touching your grounded Jerry Can or filling
station =0Anozzle completes the neutralization of the static charge differe
nce.- =0A-=0ASince auto's with plastic tanks have the fuel grounded to
the-vehicle =0Aground-via the fuel pumps, and the capacitance probe, in
jectors, fuel =0Aregulators, etc.- Your point of ground of the whole fuel
system is already =0Aaccomplished by the engine fuel systems in our aircra
ft, just-as in the =0Aautos.- I too did not make an electrical-connec
tion between my cap and =0Athe ground system because we are just a big plas
tic tank with static electricity =0Aaround the outside, and-the fuel in t
he tank is grounded to the engine and =0Athe ground of the aircraft.- Spa
rks jumping should be easily controlled by =0Agrounding the frame of the en
gine (the fuel itself) to the earth and then =0Aearthing yourself (via your
wet hand) to the side of the aircraft and then to =0Athe Jerry Can which i
s setting on the ground.- All-components and =0Ayourself are now-at a
n equal charge state, or close enough, to not jump a =0Aspark.- =0A-=0A
Problem is with the trailered aircraft.- When moving the nozzle from =0Ao
ne vehicle to another you have lost contact with the vehicle and trailer, s
o =0Aone must reestablish the neutral charge by touching the trailer with a
hand, =0Athen the plane to the trailer.--It is an academic exercise
=0Ato-assume that the vehicle,-trailer and yourself-are of the same
=0Acharge state (grounded) unless a metal strap was attached to the frame a
nd drags =0Aon the ground and the plane is grounded to the trailer.- The
National =0ATransportation directives have been changed years ago deleting
the =0Agrounding-of fuelling vehicles-with chains hanging on the =0Agro
und.- Re-fuelling vehicles use grounding cables to accomplish =0Athis.-
=0A-=0ABackground:=0AGas Stations use valves with cutoffs to allow the g
rounded fuel line to be =0Aplaced into a vehicles open hole by a woman wear
ing a static generating outfit =0Ain reasonable safety providing she stays
in contact with the nozzle at all =0Atimes...--The person can not lose
contact with the nozzle and vehicle =0Askin during the fuelling.- If they
do, one can expect upon return to the =0Anozzle, there is a high probabili
ty of a spark being generated (as in those =0AU-Tube videos).- The operat
ion is only safe because the act of the person =0Acontacting the hose nozzl
e-grounds the person to the fuel pump and earth, =0Athe fuel door is open
ed and the nozzle is placed into the vehicle fuel =0Areceptacle (neutralizi
ng the charge)-then the fuel trigger is pulled.- =0AThe vapor exiting t
he vehicle during fuelling has no source of ignition (unless =0Athe person
loses contact with the vehicle and nozzle).--Back =0Ato the aircraft on
the trailer, if the re-fuel person was inattentive, =0Adoing the fuelling
and the fuel nozzle was removed from-the =0Atow-vehicle, say after fuel
ling the car, then the person jumped up on the =0Atrailer to fuel the plane
, as long as he touched the trailer by hand and then =0Athe aircraft to ope
n the cap, while holding the-fuel nozzle, he again has =0Aneutralized the
ground and has reasonable expectations of safe fuelling. =0A-=0ABottom l
ine:- Use your body as a conduit when fuelling from a Jerry =0ACan.- Ne
ver fuel the can in the vehicle (as Graham pointed out, it develops =0Aits
own charge due to the fuel movement, sliding in the boot, etc.), put the ca
n =0Aon the ground then open it and then grab the fuel nozzle and begin fue
lling the =0Acan.- To fuel the aircraft, remove the can from the transpor
t vehicle and =0Aput the can on the ground, put your hand on the can and pl
ane and open the =0Aaircraft fuel cap, touch the aircraft and the can and l
ift to fuel or use your =0Ahand pump now to transfer fuel safely...=0A-
=0AYour wet rag idea is great, -if you have really dry hands or are messy
=0Alike me.=0A-=0ARegards,=0ABud=0A----- Original Message ----- =0A>From
: Frans Veldman =0A>To: europa-list@matronics.com =0A>Sent: Friday, Januar
y 11, 2013 12:38 PM=0A>Subject: Re: Europa-List: Grounding & Fuelling=0A>
l>=0A>=0A>On =0A 01/11/2013 04:26 PM, f.kyle@sympatico.ca wrote:=0A>=0A>>
------------ =0A Can I install a grounding bib on
the outside of the=0A>> fuselage, well =0A away from but electrically conn
ected to the 2inch tube in=0A>> addition to =0A any previous route?=0A>=0A
>If you start grounding components in direct contact =0A with fuel, you ha
ve=0A>to ground them ALL. Otherwise a non-grounded metal =0A piece (in con
tact=0A>with the fuel) will discharge itself to the grounded =0A piece, sp
arking=0A>inside the fuel enclosure.=0A>=0A>So, do not ground =0A anything
in contact with the fuel, or, if you do, then=0A>ground everything in =0A
contact with the fuel. (This includes the fuel=0A>vents, which may become
=0A electrically charged and try to relieve=0A>themselves via the fuel to
your =0A grounded cobra).=0A>=0A>Probably safest would be a metal wire ins
ide the tank, =0A running from the=0A>inlet to the outlet, making contact
with all metal parts =0A in between,=0A>have one side connected to the eng
ine and the other side to the =0A fuel=0A>filler opening.=0A>=0A>Or just d
on't ground anything, so if there is =0A an electric charge, it=0A>won't f
ind a path to ground via the fuel related =0A components.=0A>=0A>This is w
hat I do: I have not grounded anything connected =0A to the fuel.=0A>Befor
e I refill, I use a wet rag (or my bare hands) to wipe =0A off the fuel=0A
>filler opening, then I place one hand on the wetted surface, =0A and in t
he=0A>other hand I have the fuel nozzle, and with both hands connected =0A
I bring=0A>the fuel nozzle in contact with the fuel filler opening.=0A>=0A
>If =0A there is any electrical charge between the nozzle and the fuel =0A
filler=0A>opening, it will relieve itself via my body instead of via the
=0A fuel.=0A>=0A>As the aircraft is made of non-conductive material, any
=0A grounding=0A>efforts are bound to fail. Electrical charge will easily
build up =0A near=0A>the fuel filler opening, despite any efforts to groun
d individual =0A parts.=0A>The only way to get rid of local charges on a n
on-conductive =0A material is=0A>to wipe it off with something conductive;
wet rags or body =0A parts =0A --------- =0AFeatures
=0AChat, http://www.matronnbsp;--- =0Avia the Web =0Atitle=http://f
orums.matronics.com/ href="http://forums.matronics.com";>http://forums.ma
tronics.com=0A>_p;-------- =0Agenerous =0A bsp;---
---------------- =0A title=http://www.ma
tronics.com/contribution =0A href="http://www.matronics.com/contribution
">http://www.matronics.com/c===============
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