No, your typical plastic pipe system used for conveying dust cannot be adequately grounded. The fundamental issue lies in the material itself and the subsequent buildup of static electricity.
Why Plastic Ducting Cannot Be Adequately Grounded
When dust particles are conveyed through a plastic (PVC) pipe, the constant rubbing against the plastic surface generates static electricity. This can lead to substantial electrical accumulation.
Discharge Risk: The accumulated charge eventually seeks to discharge, often into the fine dust particles suspended within the pipe. This condition creates a very high risk of a dust explosion.
Inadequate Grounding: While some attempt to run grounding wires on the exterior or interior of the plastic pipe, this often fails because the plastic material itself is an electrical insulator. You would need to consider both interior and exterior grounding, which is impractical and often ineffective in plastic systems.
Other Issues with Plastic Pipe for Dust Collection
Beyond the grounding and explosion risk, plastic (PVC) piping is not ideal for proper dust collection system design due to limitations in component geometry:
Fittings Deficiencies: Plastic pipe systems lack the necessary diversity of fittings required to meet complex design needs.
Poor Airflow Design: Plastic pipe elbows typically have a very short radius, and plastic tee fittings are often improperly designed for efficient dust removal. These design flaws add excessive resistance (static pressure), leading to an inefficient dust collection system and significantly reducing the actual CFM delivered by your collector.
The Recommended Solution
The solution to these issues is a metal piping system (like spiral pipe or clamp-together ductwork):
Static Safety: With a metal system, you do not have the primary concern of static electricity developing, as the metal acts as a natural conductor when properly grounded to the collector.
Efficiency: Metal piping systems offer properly designed elbows, fittings, and accessories that have the correct radius and shape for conveying dust, minimizing resistance and maximizing the performance and efficiency of your dust collector.