Industrial lightning protection covers large sheds, warehouses, chimneys, silos and hazardous areas - all of which present a big or tall target. The system uses air terminals or masts sized to the structure, multiple down-conductors, and a low-resistance earth grid, with special care where flammable materials are stored.
What a plant needs
- Air terminals or masts on sheds, chimneys, silos and tanks by IEC 62305.
- ESE masts to cover a wide shed or yard from fewer points.
- Multiple down-conductors bonded to the structural steel and earth grid.
- Static bonding and careful earthing in hazardous (flammable) areas.
- Surge protection for plant electronics, PLCs and SCADA.
The earth is the critical part
A strike is only safe if the earth is low resistance, so plants use copper bonded rods and strip grids, with earth-enhancing compound or conductive-concrete electrodes where soil is poor. Tie the lightning earth into the plant earth grid.
