Surge protection for petrol stations is critical
October 2015
Electrical Power & Protection
Petrol stations are highly vulnerable to lightning strikes and surges due to their extremely sensitive control and display systems. The necessity of a lightning protection system is essential when considering the highly flammable sources of ignition on site. Prudent building regulations dictate that structures where a lightning strike can easily occur or can have serious consequences due to their location, type of construction or use, must be equipped with permanently effective lightning protection systems. Operators of petrol stations need to ensure that employees, customers and pedestrians are protected against fire and explosion risks caused by fuels and vapours.
The IEC 60364-1 (HD 60364-1) standard specifies that “property shall be protected against damage as a consequence of over voltages such as those originating from atmospheric events or from switching”. The surge protective devices recommended in this standard must not be installed in Ex zones (zone 0, 1 and 2), if any. If surge protective devices are located in hazardous zones, adequate measures (e.g. approved enclosures and/or approved surge protective devices) must be taken to avoid ignition.
A professional external lightning protection system, consistent lightning equipotential bonding and additional surge protection measures are required to protect petrol stations from direct lightning strikes.
Equipment located in the forecourt, such as the petrol price display, and the incoming utility line are vulnerable to direct lightning strikes. Therefore, lightning current arresters should be installed at the entrance point into the building.
The fuel dispensers are generally located underneath a projecting metal roof and are thus protected against direct lightning strikes. For this reason, and due to the intermeshed earth-termination system, surge arresters are installed at the entrance point of the lines into the petrol station building and at the entrance point of the lines into the fuel dispenser to protect the lines leading to the fuel dispenser electronics.
It is important to interconnect all metal constructions, such as pipes, fuel dispenser enclosures, and tanks, and to connect them to the earth-termination system of the petrol station building. The earth-termination system should have an earth resistance of < 10 Ω (recommendation).
For more information contact Alexis Barwise, Dehn Africa, +27 (0)11 704 1487, alexis.barwise@dehn-africa.com, www.dehn-africa.com
Further reading:
Transformer for special applications
July 2021, ASSTech Process Electronics + Instrumentation
, Electrical Power & Protection
The Jumo IPC 300 was developed for the control of heating loads that previously required an additional transformer for power control.
Read more...
ABB launches new MCB range
July 2021, ABB South Africa
, Electrical Power & Protection
The circuit breaker industry sees the local launch of a high-quality product as ABB Electrification introduces its new range of 3 kA SR200T miniature circuit breakers.
Read more...
The Pepperl+Fuchs M-LB-5000 surge protection system
June 2021, Pepperl+Fuchs
, Electrical Power & Protection
Using the modular M-LB-5000 system with diagnostics eliminates extensive testing and operational interruptions. It is supplemented by the M-LB-2000 system for applications in which a minimum specification is sufficient.
Read more...
Beckhoff expands power supply portfolio
June 2021, Beckhoff Automation
, Electrical Power & Protection
Buffer and redundancy modules for 24/48 VDC power supply increase system availability.
Read more...
Legrand’s new P17 Tempra Pro plugs
June 2021, Legrand
, Electrical Power & Protection
New to Legrand’s range of plugs and sockets is the versatile P17 Tempra Pro range, which has been developed for safe installation in indoor and outdoor environments.
Read more...
UPS series with One Cable Technology
April 2021, Beckhoff Automation
, Electrical Power & Protection
Beckhoff’s new CU81xx UPS series is designed for universal use. Due above all to the flexible connection options extending up to One Cable Technology for uninterruptible power supply (UPS-OCT), the series
...
Read more...
Flameproof switchgear for system protection
April 2021, Becker Mining South Africa
, Electrical Power & Protection
Becker Mining South Africa’s Energy Distribution division manufactures customised switchgear, designed for the efficient distribution of electrical power.
Read more...
Schneider Electric extends UPS range
April 2021, Schneider Electric South Africa
, Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric has announced the extension of Easy UPS 3L from 250 kVA to 600 kVA (400 V) with the addition of 250, 300, and 400 kVA UPSes for external batteries.
Read more...
Complete Beckhoff system for power supply, protection and energy monitoring
April 2021, Beckhoff Automation
, Electrical Power & Protection
Transparent energy data solutions increase machine efficiency and open up optimisation potential.
Read more...
Schneider Electric redefines power distribution through digitalisation
March 2021, Schneider Electric South Africa
, Electrical Power & Protection
Introducing MasterPact MTZ next generation low-voltage breaker with embedded Class 1 metering to save time and energy.
Read more...
printer friendly version