Shell warning re Mobiles
 

I know there have been numerous discussions on pprune re this subject...

We received this today from our QHSE peeps..

The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones) ignited fumes during fueling operations

In the first case, the phone was placed on the car's trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump.

In the second, an individual suffered severe burns to their face when fumes ignited as they answered a call while refueling their car.

And in the third, an individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes ignited when the phone, which was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling their car.


You s hould know that:
Mobile Phones can ignite fuel or fumes

Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition

Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers, boat! , Etc.

Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e. solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)

To sum it up, here are the: Four Rules for Safe Refueling


1) Turn off engine
2) Don't smoke
3) Don't use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off
4) Don't re-enter your vehicle during fueling

Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and make people aware of fires as a result of"static electr icity" at gas pumps . His company has researched 150 cases of these fires.


His results were very surprising:
1) Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
2) Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas. When finished, they went back to pull the nozzle out and the fire started, as a result of static.
3) Mos t had on rubber-soled shoes.
4) Most men never get back in their vehicle unt il completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
5) Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas
6) It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.
7) There were 29 fires where the vehicle was re-entered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
8) Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.

Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it with gas.

If you absolutely HAVE to get in your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make sure you get out, close the door TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull the nozzle o ut. This way the static from your body will be discharged before you ever remove the nozzle.

As I mentioned earlier, The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with several other companies now, are really trying to make the public aware of this danger. You can find out more information by going to <http://www.pei.org/> . Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says "Stop Static".

I ask you to please send this in formation to ALL your family and friends, especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas. If this were to happen to them, they may not be able to get the children out in time. Thanks for passing this along.

It's a hoax!
 

Please see:

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/cellgas.htm

Great site to check any of those numerous and dire "e-mail warnings" that ask you to forward to EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, a general indication that the mesage is phony.

PB

Soz PB..that was my point...the body of the email claims mobiles can cause explosions but if you follow the pei.org link, (and then scroll down), you will see that they state they have investigated 100s of refuelling explosions and NOT ONE has been caused by mobiles!! Guess that's how the urban myths start!

Interesting video of the lassie setting fire to her car tho!

The second half of SLFguy's first post makes a lot of sense.
Static electricity CAN cause gas explosions, and has done so often enough.
Anybody who's got out of a car on a hot and dry day, and got a nasty jolt, will be aware of that.
Sparks inside cell phones sound unlikely, they wouldn't keep functioning for very long....
But the scenario is easy to imagine..... start refuelling, then the cell phone rings. You slide back into the car, answer the phone, slide back out (nicely charged with static electricity), get to the back to remove the refuelling hose... and BOOM.
Not everybody is capable of discerning cause and effect, so the cell phone getting blamed doesn't astonish me one bit.
In practice, I can't really see any way to ignite gas vapor with a cell phone. Voltages, currents, temperatures and emitted power all seem to be far too low.
With static electricity... NO PROBLEM.

Saw the guy's on Myth Busters prove that its not possible to ignite car fuel with a cell phone even in the most favourable /worst conditions it did zippo. No pun intended.

Brainiac (mad science programme) filled a caravan with petrol, waited for the fumes to spread, then rang a large number of mobile phones in the caravan. Nothing happened so they ignited it in a more conventional manner.

On a related topic ...

Why do I need to attach the static discharge line when refuelling my aircraft with avgas, but do not need to do so when refuelling my car. What's the difference ?

I can think of several reasons - don't know what is the primary one, though.
- An aircraft and a fuel bowser can each accumulate a lot more static electricity than a car (and at a car filling station the gas pump is already grounded).
- Aircraft and fuel bowsers are a lot more expensive than a car, so some extra precautions are useful....
- The flow rates during aircraft refuelling are such that they can themselves generate static electricity.

Just to add my Avgas is in underground tanks (like a service station), not a bowser.

"more conventional" being a spark caused by rubbing some clothes together, iirc.

pb