Lightning Eliminators & Consultants (LEC), the leading supplier of integrated lightning protection and lightning prevention products, solutions and services, today announced it received ATEX Certification on 29 May 2015 for the new RGA® 750, an optimised version of its award-winning product, the Retractable Grounding Assembly (RGA), designed to protect floating roof tanks from lightning strikes. RGA® 750 will replace the company’s existing RGA® 75 and RGA® 55 models and will be available in June 2015.
Since its launch in 2000, LEC’s patented RGA® has earned accolades and awards from the oil and gas industry. At the same time, it has helped to improve safety, prevent production downtime and product loss, and curb the financial devastation associated with lightning strikes to floating roof tanks.
"Our RGA products have been embraced by the tank storage industry, but the risks associated with lightning strikes to floating roof tanks remain substantial," said Matt Napier, president, LEC.
"Through years of real-world application and scientific research with our RGA products, we’re confident that RGA 750 is the single most effective method for protecting floating roof tanks and the assets they store against loss due to lightning strikes."
The RGA® protects against such risks better than other methods because the retractable cable is always at the shortest possible length.
In addition to being a one-size-fits-all solution, the RGA® 750 boasts a wide range of improvements over its predecessors, including:
- Pre-tensioning. The RGA® 750 is pre-tensioned at the factory; no on-site tensioning is required
- Corrosion-resistance. The use of new aluminium cable, originally developed for marine applications, greatly improves corrosion-resistance and is highly resistant to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Aluminium cable samples significantly outperform both bare and tinned copper cables when exposed to a severe H2S environment
- Ease of installation. Installation takes two hours for both new and existing tanks
- Durability and maintenance. Engineered for years of durability and reliable performance in corrosive environments and requires virtually no upkeep as compared to shunts*
- Improved retraction. Stronger springs retract the cable, resulting in an average increase in retraction force over the entire cable payout range of 340 percent over the RGA® 75 and 600% over the RGA® 55
- Weight. RGA® 750 weighs less due to the use of aluminium cable
*API testing proved that shunts would arc under all conditions, even if the tank wall shunts are new and clean.
"Our 5154A braided aluminium cable outperforms copper and tinned copper in a sour gas environment, while meeting the requirements of API 545, Recommended Practice for Lightning Protection of Aboveground Storage Tanks for Flammable or Combustible Liquids," noted Kirk Chynoweth, director of engineering, LEC, and author of the company’s white paper on RGA® 750.
"Further, unlike copper and tin, aluminium is not subject to sulfide stress cracking. And with improvements in available spring retraction force of 340% to 600% over previous RGA® models, a great reduction should be seen in cable flexion and twisting due to wind currents within the confines of the tank shell."
