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What are the requirements for lightning protection and grounding of storage tanks and tank farms?

What are the requirements for lightning protection and grounding of storage tanks and tank farms?

Aug 27,2020
There are the following requirements: 
All lightning protection grounding facilities equipped independently or with tank top air-termination devices shall be inspected once a year before the arrival of the thunderstorm season. The installation is required to be firm, and the disconnection card connector of the down-conductor should be tightly attached without breaking or loosening. 

There are the following requirements: 

All lightning protection grounding facilities equipped independently or with tank top air-termination devices shall be inspected once a year before the arrival of the thunderstorm season. The installation is required to be firm, and the disconnection card connector of the down-conductor should be tightly attached without breaking or loosening. 

The lead wire is 2 m from the ground to 0 below the ground. The protection facilities of the 3m section should be intact.


The downwire that connects the ground card directly to the ground from the tank wall should be checked for looseness and rust on the surface of the bolts and connecting parts, and if necessary, wipe and tighten them in time.


  For storage tanks without air-termination devices, check whether the tank top accessories and the tank top metal are insulated and connected, especially whether the bolts and nuts between the breathing valve and the flame arrestor, the flame arrestor and the connecting short pipe are missing pieces, rust and Loose and affect the lightning path.


Check twice a year whether the equipotential connection device between the floating disk and the tank body of the floating roof and the inner floating roof storage tank is intact, and whether the soft copper wire is broken or entangled. The best way is to install a Retractable Grounding Reel for Floating Roof Tanks.



The grounding resistance shall be tested twice a year, among which, it must be measured once before the arrival of the thunderstorm season, and its independent resistance value should not be greater than 100. If the requirements cannot be met or the resistance increases too fast, the inspection should be excavated and carried out according to different conditions. Deal with or make up the ground electrode.


For simple anti-induction and electrostatic grounding, check no less than once a year, and its resistance should be greater than 30 m (100 ft). If it does not meet the requirements, it should be dealt with accordingly.


When the tank area has ground and underground construction, Strengthen the monitoring of the grounding electrode, if it may affect the grounding, check and determine.