- The High Cost of
Inadequate Protection -
- Shown above is a 40′ high by 150′ diameter tank capable of holding 5M gallons of fuel that burned to the ground while filled to half capacity (approximately 2.5M gallons of fuel inside).
- Hard Costs:
-
- $1,000,000+ Tank Itself
- $2,500,000+ Fuel @ $1/gallon
- $3,500,000+
- Other costs we can only imagine:
-
- Cost of lost community good will and confidence
- Cost of fighting fire
- Cost of cleanup and rebuilding
- Cost of lost business while tank is off line and customers can’t ship their product
- Cost of increased EPA, OSHA and state regulatory oversight
Conservatively, we believe the fire cost this operator a minimum of $4,000,000.
API RP 545 and API/EI 545-A
The photo above isn’t pretty. Yet, disasters like this happen regularly in the U.S. and around the world. All it takes is for one lightning strike to ignite the vapors in an inadequately protected floating roof tank (FRT). The result is loss on a grand scale. Check out the estimated costs of this fire at left.
Was the tank shown above grounded? Absolutely. But, as the API has realized, simple grounding is not enough. Not even close. You need effective grounding technology like our RGA™.
For over 35 years, Lightning Eliminators and Consultants, Inc. (LEC) has been in the business of eliminating lightning risk to tank farms and other structures around the world.
To protect your investment, you need LEC’s Retractable Grounding Assembly™ (RGA).
It meets and exceeds the API’s recommended practices.
The RGA™ uses retractable, braided grounding cable that maximizes surface area and adjusts its length with the height of the floating roof to minimize resistance and impedance. Conditions within the tank don’t matter with the RGA™. It is strategically bolted and sealed to the tank shell and roof so that when lightning strikes it can be safely discharged.
You can count on the 5 E’s of the RGA™:
- Effective- in preventing fires triggered by lightning.
- Economical- the initial cost is low - just $3,100 per RGA™ - and offers a high ROI.
- Easy to Install- requiring just 2 hours on both new and existing tanks.
- Engineered for Years of Durability- It lasts the life of your tank, delivering high performance in a corrosive environment.
- Easy to Maintain- virtually no upkeep compared to shunt technology. Just routine maintenance.
You can protect your tanks from lightning without the high cost associated with other, less effective technologies. Call us today at 303-447-2828 to discuss your needs and the affordable solutions we offer. Or send an email to info@lecglobal.com.
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