Page 9 - Gas_Plants

Source: Open Grid Europe

Gas compressor stations Underground gas storage

facilities

Natural gas compressor stations allow continuous trans- The storage of natural gas allows to compensate seasonal
port from the exploration to the use of natural gas. To demand fluctuations and to prevent supply bottlenecks. In
transport the natural gas to the consumers, the gas is fed the liberalised gas market, gas storage facilities are used to
into a pipeline system at a pressure up to 100 bars. Due to trade with natural gas, which is mostly stored underground
the flow loss, the pressure in the pipeline is reduced as the in natural or artificial cavities (cavern storage facility) or
distance from the infeed point increases. For this reason, gas porous rocks (porous rock storage facility). To ensure that
compressor stations are required. the energy flow is not interrupted, these storage facilities,
particularly all aboveground plant parts required for the op-
The natural gas supply may not be ensured any more if a eration of natural gas storage facilities such as compressor
gas compressor station fails as a result of a lightning strike – and gas dehydration systems and their control and monitor-
particularly during times of peak consumption. To efficiently ing equipment, must fulfil high availability requirements.
address this threat and to significantly reduce the probability
of failure, preventive external and internal lightning protec- In case of natural gas storage facilities, particularly the
tion measures must be taken. These protection measures buildings and the aboveground plant parts required for the
mainly include fire and explosion protection, personal pro- operation of natural gas storage facilities are prone to direct
tection and the protection of electronic systems. lightning strikes. Therefore, lightning protection measures
are required to protect the plant from lightning strikes
and to significantly reduce the risk of a plant failure. These
protection measures prevent lightning and surge damage
and mainly include:
• An external lightning protection system to prevent direct
lightning strikes to buildings, pipelines and plant parts.
• Prevention that dangerous explosive atmospheres ignite.
• Consistent implementation of equipotential bonding
measures and interconnected earth-termination systems
to prevent potential differences.
• Adequate SPDs to reduce conducted lightning currents
and induced surges.

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