Man builds up 30,000 volts of static electricity

ABC online ^ | September 16, 2005

[Cowman]

Last Update: Friday, September 16, 2005. 12:18pm (AEST)

Man builds up 30,000 volts of static electricity

Victorian authorities believe a man built up at least 30,000 volts of static electricity in his jacket simply by walking around the western Victorian city of Warrnambool yesterday.

The man left a trail of scorch marks and molten plastic behind him.

It was yesterday afternoon when Frank Clewer walked into a Warrnambool business and got his first shock.

"It sounded almost like a firecracker or something like that," he said.

"It was at the reception area. Within say, around five minutes, the carpet started to erupt," he said.

Burns the size of 10-cent pieces were left on the carpet where Mr Clewer had been standing.

The Country Fire Authority evacuated the building and those around it, fearing the power could cause larger electrical problems.

But Mr Clewer's worries continued when he got back in his car.

"I actually scorched a piece of plastic I had on the floor of the car," he said.

Scientist Karl Kruszelnicki says it is likely the electrical build-up was caused by a number of factors, such as the synthetic clothes the man was wearing.

"This poor guy has built up static electricity thanks to an unfortunate combination of insulating clothes that he's wearing, static, synthetic clothes, just walking along and he's just building up this static charge everywhere," Dr Kruszelnicki said.

"I've read of it but I've never heard of it here in Australia."

The CFA has Mr Clewer's jacket and says it is continuing to give off voltage.

[nuconvert]

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[nuconvert]

shocking pong

[azhenfud]

Wow! A human sparkplug!

[Red Badger]

Wonder what the Amperage of the charge was? There seems to be an extreme excess of electrons. A walking Van deGraf Generator!............

[neal1960]

Bet he catches a lot of static over the burned carpet.

[Red Badger]

Dairy farmers have successfully used these socks, .....

What about the poor cows? When they attach those milkers, cold and HOT? No wonder my uncle got kicked!............

[ovrtaxt]

I wonder watt could have caused this.

[AmericanMade1776]

JUST SHOCKING!

[tiredoflaundry]

I guess he forgot to use this:

[azhenfud]

Maybe this guy should be considered for employment? - he holds the power of ZOT!

[ovrtaxt]

I work with low voltage (usually 10 to 22 volts) daily.

An arced low voltage circuit is easily hot enough to burn carpeting, clothes, skin, etc.

Ohm's law

How does one achieve such high amperage with 30,000 volts? Resistance (ohms) must have been extremely low. Weird.

[webboy45]

Not believable.

[rit]

An atom is sitting in a bar and the bartender asks what is wrong?
The atom replies, "I lost an electron."
The bartender ask "Are you sure?"
The atom replies: "yes, I am positive"

[Red Badger]

The electrifried ones are for LATTE!.......

[ovrtaxt]

you should be permanently banned for that.

[jigsaw]

As a further clarification, repelling is what students do when they repeatedly apply for Pell Grants.

Hope this helps. (LOL!)

[Willie Green]

30,000 volts of static charge isn't that uncommon. It takes current with that voltage to actually burn things.

Watt are you talking about???

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

[Ol' Sox]

The electrifying Mr. Clewer.