Floating Roof Tank Earthing

Comprehensive Lightning Strike Protection for Floating Roof Tanks

retractable grounding assembly

The ATEX approved patented Retractable Grounding Assembly (RGA™) substantially reduces the risk of tank fires by subduing sustained arcs during lightning events and other electrical phenomena.

The RGA is able to do this better than other methods, because designers analysed and found ways to overcome the weaknesses of other, traditional, devices for grounding floating roof tanks.

What’s the problem?…

sparking_shunt

SHUNTS are shown in the left image and have been used for many years as the method to earth out the roof to the tank wall.

Studies by the API (American Petroleum Institute) have shown these shunts may fail to provide the required contact between the roof and wall and are prone to wear and tear issues … without a properly earthed roof, the risk of EXPLOSION exists.

pole-strike

In fig 2 to the right, the lightning strike is shown hitting a nearby pole … this causes the charge in the tank walls to discharge rapidly, but leaves a ‘bound charge’ held in the product itself, which if not earthed robustly, can create a secondary arcing – ignition!

This highlights why lightning does NOT have to hit the tank itself to cause the conditions for an explosion. 

What’s the solution?…

With over 3,000 installations across the world and endorsed by the API as ‘best practice’, the retractable ground assembly (RGA) has a proven track record of eliminating lightning related tank fires.  It also reduces the risk of sparking as a result of poor maintenance, contamination build-up, corrosion, as well as shunt deformation.

The RGA is an incredibly simple way of achieving a robust electrically continuous path between the floating roof and tank wall 100% of the time.  This keeps both the wall and the roof at the same potential….without the risk of a cable being severed, or the RGA-illustrationshunts failing…..this gives you the peace of mind that the contents of your tanks will not ignite due to lightning-induced issues!

In addition, the RGA is ATE certified and the API has approved its use as ‘best practice’ (API 545) for floating roof tanks – full details can be found in document API RP 545, First Edition (product code C54501), and the RGA comes with a full 5 year warranty as standard!

 ATEX certified, API approved, proven track record and a 5-year warranty!!

… all this adds up to being able to relax knowing that your floating roof tanks are not going to be the source of an ignition event!

What next? …

After reading this, I’m sure you will agree this is a very compelling case to consider the RGA as a replacement to the existing shunt system…so why not email us so we can discuss the next steps…

Click here to request a quote or more information.

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  • Effective: Permanent, reliable, low-impedance bond prevents fires triggered by lightning currents
  • Economical: Low initial cost and exceptional return on investment
  • Easy-to-Install: Installation takes only two hours on both new and existing tanks
  • Durable: Engineered for years of durability and reliable performance in corrosive environments
  • Low-Maintenance: Requires virtually no upkeep as compared to shunts
  • Award Winning: Winner of the E & P Innovation Award
  • Standards Conformant: The RGA Conforms to both API 545 and NFPA 780 recommendations and is supported by API 545 as a bypass conductor.

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Manf’r:LEC Logo
Approvals:atex-ce
Wgt:
Standards Conformant: API 545 and NFPA 780 as a bypass conductor

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rga-retractable grounding assembly brochure

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Retractable Grounding Assembly

LEC Logo

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