Lightning Protection Design For Thermal Petrochemical Plants
Lightning is a natural phenomenon that can have a significant impact on environment, production and people interacting with thermal petrochemical industries. Thermal petrochemical plants and their storage facilities are uniquely vulnerable to lightning due to the facility designs and the often explosive and caustic nature of the raw materials being processed, handled, and transported. Lightning strikes at these sites can have catastrophic effects particularly fires and explosions that pose significant risks to personnel and may result in extended outages, loss of productivity, and equipment and infrastructure failures. However, these consequences can be avoided with suitable lightning protection design and installation by certified companies. Modern Lightning protection design requirements are not adequately addressed by the national standards. A common example is explosive volumes that are created due to off-gassing from vent stacks, etc. While a well-designed lightning protection