Lightning Its Effect And Some Simple Safeguards In Regards To Oilfield Operations

This paper discusses the occurrence and characteristics of lightning-related phenomenon, and the damage which it may cause to commonly used oilfield equipment such as tank batteries, power lines and transformers, ESP systems, drilling rigs and pulling units. The paper provides some considerations when deciding if a lightning protection system is warranted for a given facility and it presents some guidelines in the design of practical "Brute-force" protection methods, using a blend of published research from non-petroleum industries and operational experience in the oilfield. Case histories, illustrating both effective and ineffective designs are given.