LIGHTNING FIRES, FRTS AND BYPASS CONDUCTORS

Joseph Lanzoni, VP of Sales Engineering for Lightning Eliminators & Consultants reveals how to avoid costly storage tank fires. Fires involving petroleum storage tanks are not uncommon. According to Henry Persson and Anders Lönnermark’s review of petroleum storage tank fires (1951-2003), the number of tank fires reported in the worldwide media is in the range of 15 to 20 fires per year. A petroleum industry-sponsored study concluded that lightning is the most common source of ignition, with about a third of all tank fires attributed to this. Floating roof tanks (FRTs) are especially vulnerable to lightning. The most common source of FRT ignition is arcing between the floating roof and tank shell. Installing bypass conductors between the roof and shell will limit arcing between these two surfaces. However, there are different types of bypass conductors, so selecting the right one is essential to reducing this lightning-related risk. FLOATING ROOF TANKS AND SEALS Petroleum products such as crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, etc, are commonly stored in floating roof tanks. An FRT is a type of tank where the roof is constructed on pontoons that float on top of the product...