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Lightning Protection

Our Products: Storage Tanks > Lightning Protection

Lightning Protection on AST or Aboveground Storage Tanks

Lightning is an unpredictable event with current levels sometimes in excess of 400 kA and temperatures reaching 50,000F. Lightning can be about 1/3 that of the speed of light. Aboveground Storage Tanks AST can be subjected to a portion of the Earth's 2,000+ thunderstorms that create about 100 lightning strikes per second.

Generally, lightning occurs as follows:

A downward leaders occurs from the cloud towards the earth or ground by finding the least resistance or electric ground objects.
Ground-based objects like tanks, buildings, and lightning rods can have emissions during lightning storms and caused an upward activity from a tank and connect to a streamer.

Lightning has two kind of results and these two are classified as:

Direct Causing: Heating, Arcing and Burning
Indirect Causes: Capacitive, Inductive and Magnetic Characteristics

Remember, lightning strikes cannot be 100% reduced.� These code or recommended books will add� a measure of incremental safety that helps mitigated lightning strikes on storage tanks.