Gordon- I have my doubts about the effectiveness of
this material inside a fuel tank. I investigated a similar material called
ROHMoglas which was aluminized fiberglass mat. Sport Av or Kitplanes had
suggested it as a static wick for fuel tanks. When I talked to the company they
said it was used for antenna dishes and to make antenna ground planes in
fiberglass structures.The rep I talked to thought it would be ineffective as a
tank liner.
Epoxy resin is
nonconductive. If you saturate the mat when you bond it to the tank it will be
insulated from the static charge. You could wet the tank surface and stick the
mat to it leaving the outer surface clean instead. This poses the risk of having
fibers break loose, possibly clogging the fuel system. Since the Thermion mat is
carbon-fiber it might be possible to seal the tank surfaces with resin, apply
the saturated mat, then lightly sand it to break through the epoxy to expose the
conductive fibers.
This may not do much to solve the problem
though. I was a volunteer fireman for many years and a chief
for a few. I don't claim to have the final word but we were taught that the
vapors inside a partly-full fuel tank are too rich to support combustion. It
seems to me that the area of greatest danger is the interface where the vapors
expelled by fueling mix with sufficient oxygen to become explosive. That would
be outside the filler neck. There may be
static charges on the outside of the wing as well.
Other Velocity builders have pointed out that metal will accumulate the static
charges like a condensor. That suggests that the cap and filler neck would be
the most likely source for a spark. For my own plane I made a tube of aluminum
bug screen which extends from the filler opening to the bottom. The screen
should collect static from within the tank and help to keep crud confined to the
filler area. It is electrically bonded to the filler neck. The cap is bonded to
the neck by a strap which also keeps the cap from getting lost in flight.
Fueling procedure will be to ground the cap before opening and keep it connected
until fueling is completed.
-Bill