When considering the installation of a lightning protection system, one problem is
the misconception about what comprises a technically sound lightning protection
system for tanks and vessels containing flammable materials. In addition to this,
Table 17.2 Apparent susceptibility to lightning strikes and lightning damage to
oil-field facilities (adapted from Reference 8)
Facilities most susceptible to a
lightning hit* (from most to least
susceptible)
Equipment sustaining the most
lightning-related damage† (listed in
decreasing order of damage
[as determined from insurance claims])
Drilling rigs Tanks
Pulling units Electronics
Electric lines/transformers Motors/controls
Pumping units Transformers
Dehydration towers Electric lines
Battery equipment Pulling units
Treaters–tanks Drilling rigs
Motors/controls Pumping units
*Determined by considering the relative height and degree of isolation.
†From interviews with relevant personnel regarding the frequency of damage and the extent of the damage.
Lightning protection of structures with risk of fire and explosion 823
knowing which concepts given in standards are relevant and the lack of knowledge
about who should be responsible for implementing the lightning protection system
ensure that making the appropriate decisions is not a foregone conclusion. Thus an
absence of sound knowledge, guidelines and responsibility may generate confusion
among those who seek reliable protection for their installation. The end result could
be a solution that is universally questionable or, worse still, no protection at all on a
sensitive structure.
Another classical situation is that lightning protection systems are installed only
after catastrophic events, like that mentioned above [5], in which a Faraday cage
was selected and designed for the protection of hydrocarbon storage tanks in the
Luja´n de Cuyo refinery, Argentina, after the disaster had taken place.