The mixture of oxygen and fuel vapor has to be within a certian ratio
where the discharge takes place before it'll ignite.  It's possible, and
I'm sure it's happened, but the percentage must be low.  Even with a low
probability, millions of people fuel their cars a day, so it does happen
with some regularity.

I imagine the pump handle is grounded through a resistor, so static is
discharged slowly when the nozzle enters the car.  The resistor doesn't
have to be very large to prevent an ignition spark while still grounding
the car by the time you pull the lever and the fuel actually flows.

Of course if you get in the car and leave it without discharging
yourself, then you may pick up enough of a charge that when you go to
get the nozzle out you can discharge when the fuel vapors are at their
thickest.  The car has enough mass that even with the grounding resistor
in the nozzle you would still have an ignition spark when you touched
the car.

Of course, this is a guess, but it would seem prudent to me.

-Adam

Jinx wrote:

>>I just got a lecture form the guy at the gas station because I got
>>back into my car while refuelling. He showed me photos of car
>>fires he reckons have been caused by static. I would be
>>interested in your opinion (and others on Piclist) - Paul G
>>
>>
>
>http://www.pei.org/static/
>
>(statistics here http://www.pei.org/static/fire_reports.htm)
>
>http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp
>
>Comments anyone ? Safety first and all that, but it does seem
>a bit of a beat-up. 154 incidents in 12 years for the US
>
>==============================================
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>- Wernher von Braun
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