In oil and gas industry, survival and the key performance priorities are health and safety of personnel, environment, expensive downtime, critical asset protection, costly explosions and fires. This covers the UP, MID and DOWN streams sectors of the industry.
Unfortunately, it is also one of the most vulnerable industry when it comes to earthing and lightning related dangers.
By simply implementing earthing and lightning solutions in accordance with relevant international standards like IEC 60079, 62305, API RP 545, IEEE standards and recommended best practices can be a strategic investment for facilities.
This is particularly crucial for facilities located in heavy lightning intensity zones like Nigeria and indeed West Africa, with 140-180 thunderstorm days per annum compared to Europe 5-15 thunderstorm days, about the highest in the world.
Mission critical equipment across the streams and even at consumer end/retail points are obviously at great risk and vulnerable.
Lightning strikes and its increasing secondary effects ravage critical oil and gas facilities causing them to malfunction, breakdown and even go up in flames. Despite these obvious known problems and dangers. Industry operators seem not to take the likely expensive hazard serious and take appropriate preventive steps.
Today, we shall explore ways and means of earthing and lightning safety solutions and how these solutions improve and enhance safety, mitigate costly downtime and protect critical asset across the oil and gas workspace.
Solution benefits include but not limited to enhanced (safety) HSE compliance, increased uptime, reliability, productivity, cost savings and general operational efficiency.
Enhanced Safety:
With proper grounding and lightning safety solutions designed and implemented in accordance with international standards like IEC 60079 , 62305 and API RP 545, ensures safety of personnel and assets in hazardous environments.
And at the same time mitigates explosions, fires, and accidents risks caused by lightning strikes or electrical faults.
Mitigating Downtime:
Lightning-induced power outages or equipment damage leads to costly downtime across the oil and gas industry.
By implementing robust grounding and lightning solutions, minimize lightning strikes impact, reducing production and delivery disruptions hence saving huge money.
Asset Protection:
Lightning-induced surges can damage critical equipment such as pumps, motors, and control systems .By deploying and implementing international industry standards like IEC 62305 and API RP 2003 for lightning safety, protects assets, extends equipment lifespan, and avoid expensive repairs and replacements.
Our Fullspectrum solutions in earthing and lightning safety for oil and gas are based on stringent HSE compliance, international industry best practices and relevant standards. Significantly enhance safety, productivity, reliability, efficiency, and money savings across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the industry.
The fullspectrum solutions guarantee peace, cost savings and safety across industries.
Enquiries
Victor Oyedu, FNSE, FNIEEE, CPQ.
Power Quality and Energy Management Specialist.
Publisher at fullspectrumsolutionsng.com/blog/
CEO, FullSpectrum Energy Solutions Limited, Nigeria.
