Efficient Deployment of Lightning and Surge protection Schemes in Nigeria Petroleum Industry Facilities

Abstract

The petroleum industry is located in one of the most active lightning zones in the world with a keraunic level of about 140 lightning days per year. In the past, lightning strikes have reportedly caused severe damages to the petroleum industry's facilities, control and communication equipments, etc. This Paper therefore evaluates available types of lightning and surge protection systems and proposes the best system or combination of systems for the Nigeria petroleum industry; which will utilize Charge Transfer Technology known as Dissipated Array System (DAS) developed by Lightning Eliminators Consultants (LEC), with all connections linked to earth grid. Proposed in this paper, is the installation of effective surge protection scheme, to minimize secondary effects of lightning strikes on the electrical systems by equipping such systems with metal oxide surge arrestors and installation of effective surge protection scheme on both ends (input/output) of instrumentation cables and protecting all data, communication and electronic control circuits with multi-element surge suppression devices. All the main power, control and communication feeders to the facility and office complexes should be protected by the effective coordinated installation of lightning arrestors, transient voltage suppressors (TVSS) as well as Power Distribution Supplies(PDS)/ Uninterrupted Power Supplies(UPS) units for major facilities such as the control and communication. The deployment of combination of options a, b, c and d surge protection systems at transformer high voltage connections, process control, fire/ gas and safeguarding systems, communications circuits and panel board feeders supplying sensitive electronic loads would eventually provide greater advantageous results.