1.

WHY THERE IS A NEED TO SWITCH OFF YOU ENGINE WHEN FUELLING

There are warnings at fuel stations which tell us to turn off our vehicle engines during refuelling
at the pumps. Motorists are also advised to shift into park mode or engage the emergency brake
and turn off any auxiliary 12 volt sources of power.
There are a couple of reasons why this is an important safety measure to prevent a catastrophe.
Accidental ignition(the action of setting something on fire or starting to burn.) of fuel fumes.
During the refuelling procedure the fumes or vapour from the fuel being pumped can accumulate
on the ground level near your car.
There are also small amounts of fuel vapour displaced from your tank by the liquid fuel. If your
vehicle engine is left running, it presents potential sources of fuel igniters such as the sparks
from the vehicle exhaust pipe (Mechanical sparks are from metal to metal contact and can be
associated with rotating equipment (eg alternators, pulleys, etc) or bearings. Metal to pavement
contact (e.g exhaust pipe, broken drive shaft). The vehicle must be running or moving to produce
such ignition source. Farm logging, construction or highway maintenance equipment may have
mechanical attachments. It could be damaged or not proverly maintaine, friction may produce
heat with the capability of igniting vapours.) and to a less extent the engine alternator and the
often red hot catalytic converter fitted at the centre of the exhaust pipe.
Failure to switch off auxiliary 12 volt power sources for cigarette lighters and phone chargers can
also be potential accident igniters of a fuel fire. Accidental moving of the vehicle during
refuelling. Leaving your engine running and dashing out to the convenience store during
refuelling creates a risk of children accidentally engaging the drive gear and moving the car with
the fuelling nozzle in your tank.
There are remote cases where drivers who are distracted or in a hurry have accidentally moved
the cars or driven off during the refuelling process. This situation can cause a major fuel spill and
fire from the exhaust (exhaust system component can provide sufficient temp to ignite diesel
spray and vapourize gasoline). These scenarios or potential causes of accidental fires at the fuel
pumps can be avoided by switching off the vehicle engines and accessory power sources.
A faulty alternator can produce sparks, as can faulty ignition coil.
Under rarer circumstances static from your fan/drive/serpentine belt can generate a static electric
spark.
Other electrical sources are faulty relays, loose battery terminals, poorly installed driving/fog
lights and poorly installed sound systems.

Alternating Current (AC)

Alternating current describes the flow of charge that changes direction periodically. As a result,
the voltage level also reverses along with the current. AC is used to deliver power to houses,
office buildings, etc.

Generating AC
AC can be produced using a device called an alternator. This device is a special type of electrical
generator designed to produce alternating current.
A loop of wire is spun inside of a magnetic field, which induces a current along the wire. The
rotation of the wire can come from any number of means: a wind turbine, a steam turbine,
flowing water, and so on. Because the wire spins and enters a different magnetic polarity
periodically, the voltage and current alternates on the wire.

Applications
Home and office outlets are almost always AC. This is because generating and transporting AC
across long distances is relatively easy. At high voltages (over 110kV), less energy is lost in
electrical power transmission. Higher voltages mean lower currents, and lower currents mean
less heat generated in the power line due to resistance. AC can be converted to and from high
voltages easily using transformers.
AC is also capable of powering electric motors. Motors and generators are the exact same
device, but motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy (if the shaft on a motor is
spun, a voltage is generated at the terminals!). This is useful for many large appliances like
dishwashers, refrigerators, and so on, which run on AC.

Direct Current (DC)

Direct current is a bit easier to understand than alternating current. Rather than oscillating back
and forth, DC provides a constant voltage or current.

Generating DC
DC can be generated in a number of ways:

An AC generator equipped with a device called a commutator can produce direct

current

Use of a device called a rectifier that converts AC to DC

Batteries provide DC, which is generated from a chemical reaction inside of the battery

Applications
Almost all electronics projects and parts for sale on SparkFun run on DC. Everything that runs
off of a battery, plugs in to the wall with an AC adapter, or uses a USB cable for power relies on
DC. Examples of DC electronics include:

Cell phones

The LilyPad-based D&D Dice Gauntlet

Flat-screen TVs (AC goes into the TV, which is converted to DC)

Flashlights

Hybrid and electric vehicles

2. Danger of Plastic bottles for fuel

Flowing gasoline causes static buildup. This happens at the point where gasoline
vapors are in the "just right to burn" range. You'll notice that the nozzle of the fuel
hose is metal. So is the tube that goes into your fuel tank. This is by design. It is
designed so that the static that builds as the fuel flows has a continuous path to
"ground". If this contact is not made, sparks (in the form of static discharge) can fly
and ignite the vapor.
This is why cheap plastic gas cans are (in my mind) dangerous. There is no avenue
for the static to go to "ground", whether the gas is going into the can or out of it. In
this case the plastic bed liner contributed to the situation. Static was again the
culprit.