A Study of Electrostatic Activity in Grain Silos

An investigation of the electrostatic charge build-up on grain dusts has been performed in commercial concrete grain silos at Tilbury Grain Terminal in England. The purpose of this work was to collect electric field, space potential, and specific charge data relevant to an assessment of electrostatic hazards in grain silos. Of the three dusts examined (wheat, corn, and soya) the most electrostatically active was found to be wheat.