Analysis, Modeling and Optimization Earthing System of Oil Storage Tanks

Earthing and protection of oil and gas storage tanks has always been one of the most challenging issues in the field of electrical engineering. Due to the high area of the tanks and its surroundings and the possibility of creating high step and touch voltages caused by lightning and passing its current and creating hazard for equipments and people around, as well as many fires that occur due to lightning and electrical charges in oil tanks, the need to study and research the grounding system of oil storage tanks is necessary. In this article, first, the existing design of a sample oil reservoirs in Said Beheshti Transportation Center and facilities of Isfahan Oil Pipelines and Telecommunications Company is discussed and critiqued. It has been computerized in CYMGDR and the values of step and touch voltages, as well as ground grid resistance value have been obtained and then compared with the standard values. The existing plan disadvantages have been studied and an optimal design is selected and recommended according to the environmental conditions and observations. Then, the current instructions for protection against lightning and static electricity in different standards have been studied and different methods of dealing with fire hazards of tanks have been reviewed and compared with existing tank conditions. Finally, some recommendations for optimizing the grounding and bonding of different tank components have been represented.