Static electricity itself is straightforward: when two surfaces come into contact and then separate, electrons can be transferred from one surface to the other, leaving an imbalance of charge.
Inside a tanker, you’ve got constant contact and separation between the moving liquid and the walls of the tank, plus turbulence from bumps, turns and braking. That’s a perfect recipe for static buildup.
If that charge has nowhere to go, it can suddenly discharge as a spark – especially when the truck is being loaded or unloaded and fuel vapors are present. Those vapors are far more dangerous than the liquid itself.
The grounding chain reduces this risk by constantly “leaking” that excess charge into the road surface, preventing dangerous voltage from accumulating on the vehicle body in the first place.
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