Threat Posed by Electromagnetic Fields Ignored by API Standards

Protection against electromagnetic fields must be introduced for the petrochemical industry, says Amir Rizk from Lightning ElectroTechnologies. Electromagnetic (EM) waves/fields from lightning strikes constitute indisputable scientific fact. They are a major cause of power outages and are the basis of national lightning detection networks. The issue of the EM effects of lightning has been central in the electric power industry since the 1950s. Yet by 2023, this has still not been meaningfully introduced into lightning protection standards serving the petrochemical industry. The video (1) of the lightning strike that caused the 3 June 2023 fire in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA, is instructive. A large steel tank that is inherently well- grounded, was struck on the handrail. If the only threat posed by lightning is related to currents as described in standards like NFPA 780 and API 545, it’s hard to see how the fire could have started. If however, one considers that lightning produces enormous EM fields/waves, as explained in a video by Lightning Electrotechnologies, suddenly it’s clear that the tank is far more vulnerable, and that the measures in NFPA 780 and API 545 ignore...