Oil plants and refineries are large metal infrastructures that are far from any building and are located in large open spaces, which make them especially prone to being struck by lightning. This circumstance, together with the high flammability of the products stored in the tanks, can cause considerable risk of explosion and fire. Destructive lightning events do not need to be a direct strike to the tank itself. A nearby strike can create a massive voltage potential rise across the tank surfaces, including the shell and the floating roof.
Protecting a large chemical processing facility from damage caused by lightning, therefore, requires a systematic, multi-faceted approach and the very best in modern knowledge and technology. Also, every component of the plant needs to be considered separately for the operational protection.
Fuel tank lightning protection by LEC
Shunts were envisioned to permit any lightning-related current to propagate from the floating roof to the tank shell to ground without generating a spark. Sadly, shunts are extremely unreliable and are not easily inspected except through a maintenance event. This leaves the tank’s ability to safely conduct a lightning strike undetermined and ultimately with significant risk of fire.
Providing countermeasures to protect tanks from these vulnerabilities is simple and easily corrected.
Preventive actions
Yes, oil tanks and or floating roof petroleum storage tanks (FRTs) can be protected from lightning. Awareness of these opportunities and services is the first step in preventing explosions and protecting assets. And the rapidly changing climate is predicted to cause more lightning strikes in many places worldwide, making it only more important to (re)evaluate the risks of a strike and the assess the potential direct and direct damage of a strike.
All facilities including fuel tanks, as long as its characteristics allow it, require a lightning protection system with air terminal that protects structures and people. Not just any solution, but the right fuel tank lightning protection products from LEC can solve this industry wide problem.
- The RGA 750 Gen 2
- In-Tank Potential Equalizer
- DAS – Dissipation Array System
We can’t emphasis enough – the facilities where flammable products are stored and handled must have high-tech fuel tank lightning protection systems from LEC.