W
whit3rd
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
Yes it can, Fluids do it, air is a fluid. Plastic is an insulator.
*AHEM* ... the important characteristic is particle size. A little
bit of
energy is required to put charge on a particle. For a single atom
or gas molecule, this is the 'ionization energy' and is typically
a volt or so, but that means the electric field has to be one volt
per atomic-diameter (very unlikely). Charging a leafy bit, you
only need one volt per leafy-bit-diameter (likely), so you get
lots of moving charge in a blower full of sawdust, leafy bits, maybe
even dust.
The ease of ionization of large molecules and particles is the
principle behind electrostatic scrubbers and household smoke
detectors. Oil spray in a compressed air system will be a problem,
but the air itself is not.