(49c) Lightning Warning Techniques for Risk Mitigation

Lightning can pose a threat to numerous processes associated with the production and handling of energetic materials and materials that may produce environments containing flammable gases, flammable or combustible liquid-produced vapors, combustible dusts, or ignitable fibers/flyings.  Advance warning of a lightning threat can allow termination of such operations or enable the operator to render the process to a configuration less susceptible to the effects of lightning.  The proper incorporation of lightning warning techniques and hardware into the plant or process operating procedures could have a positive effect on the plant/process lightning risk assessment and help reduce the level of protection required from a lightning protection system.  This paper will discuss the general principles and techniques for lightning warning and discuss baseline requirements for hardware that can reliably provide advance warnings for critical operations.  This paper will also address considerations of incorporation of these techniques into a facility’s lightning protection plan.  Finally, this paper will show through a risk assessment example how the use of advance warning can mitigate the risk of a lightning threat.