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lightning activity in Abu Dhabi is in fact low, the company is now better protected from a global trend: incrementally higher lightning activity that scientists believe is the result of climate change. Higher temperatures worldwide are increasing the warm-weather patterns that lead to severe thunderstorm activity. Even without the global increase in lightning, floating roof tanks need adequate protection. Large storage operations such as Takreer's Ruwais facility, for instance, houses millions of dollars' worth of product, which means a single, lightning-induced spark can result in a tremendous financial hit. It is a common and unfortunate challenge that storage firms face worldwide. In fact, some studies have indicated that a majority of fires that occur with petroleum storage tanks are caused by lightning. Part of the difficultly is the fact that tanks are susceptible not only to direct lightning, but also to nearby strikes. "When lightning is about to strike nearby, electrons in the area nearby rush over to the point of a strike, and good grounding systems allow that to happen without incident," explained Kirk Chynoweth, systems engineering manager for LEC. "Unfortunately, when the roof of a floating roof tank is not properly grounded, the electrons on the top of the tank will move at a different rate than electrons on the side of a tank, and that difference in charge balance can create a spark on the edge of the floating roof." Those sparks occur in just about the worst place possible, the empty space above a stored petroleum product that is full of flammable fumes. For that reason, tank fires are often very damaging. A July 2012 strike that happened at a U.S. company in Kentucky is not all that unusual: it destroyed at least two tanks, set additional tanks on fire, and damaged on-site power lines, subsequently creating power outages in the surrounding areas. The floating roof from one of the tanks was blown off and landed in the middle of a nearby highway. Fortunately for Takreer, those types of lightningrelated incidents are less and less likely because of its proactive lightning protection operations with Consilium and LEC. The reduced maintenance that the RGA requires compared to older lightning protection systems has led Consilum to begin conversations about lightning protection with some of Takreer's sister companies in the energy sector. "You can't be too safe when you have as many assets to protect as Takreer does," said Consilium's www.npnweb.com n NPN Magazine Nambiar. "Takreer is a company that goes above and beyond even the most stringent guidelines for protection and, when it comes to lightning protection, they have made sure that they have the lowest-impedance path for grounding with their RGA systems." The RGA, a winner of the E & P Innovation award, solves the challenges that come with traditional grounding devices, providing comprehensive lightning strike protection for floating roof tanks. The product creates a permanent, reliable, lowimpedance bond that prevents fires triggered by lightning currents. The RGA is also a highly economical device, and it can be installed on new and existing tanks in approximately two hours. The ATEX-certified patented RGA conforms to both API 545 and NFPA 780 recommendations and is supported by API 545 as a bypass conductor. LEC is dedicated to providing integrated, industrial lightning protection and prevention solutions, products and services by utilizing innovative, patented charge transfer technology, grounding systems engineering, surge protection, design and comprehensive consulting resources. To date, LEC has installed over 3000 solutions in over 69 countries and throughout the United States, providing lightning protection to companies in the petrochemical, oil and gas, biochemical, information technology, nuclear energy, utilities and manufacturing industries. Lightning Eliminator's Retractable Grounding Assembly RGA® Roy B. Carpenter, Jr., a former chief engineer for NASA's Apollo Moon Landing Missions and the Space Shuttle design engineering teams, founded LEC in 1971 to study and apply engineering principles to lightning protection. Products used: Engineering Services and RGA® March 2013 2