Biogas tank goes off.

[Joeboy]

What are the odds? Good it was only equipment and not people.

https://news.sky.com/story/huge-firebal ... e-12975298

[Moxi]

Blimey, yes its a good job that happened at night with fewer, or maybe no one on site. I presume it was one of the impermeable membrane type gas holders that are often used on Anaerobic digester sites and coupled to a power production unit ?

Moxi

[smegal]

Blimey, yes its a good job that happened at night with fewer, or maybe no one on site. I presume it was one of the impermeable membrane type gas holders that are often used on Anaerobic digester sites and coupled to a power production unit ?

Moxi

https://www.stgreenpower.co.uk/where-we ... d-facility

[AE-NMidlands]

I would have thought that a lightning-strike was a predictable event... Surprised the fabric doesn't have an aluminised top, or mesh over it, all earthed. Maybe they need lightning conductors/towers scattered around the site to protect the tanks? (which could have wind turbines on the top to take advantage of the height too...)

[smegal]

I would have thought that a lightning-strike was a predictable event... Surprised the fabric doesn't have an aluminised top, or mesh over it, all earthed. Maybe they need lightning conductors/towers scattered around the site to protect the tanks? (which could have wind turbines on the top to take advantage of the height too...)

Here's an AD plant in Leeds. Note the lightning rods around the round white gas holder.

[Moxi]

Moxi

[ALAN/ALAN D]

Ref “ https://biogasmembrane.com/biogas-storage/


Some biogas storage consists of an internal membrane, an external membrane and a bottom membrane.

Lightning diversion system would have to be made to equalise the voltage across the entire top and bottom membrane without creating a pressure resistance if the membrane does rupture

I would not want to work there.

[Moxi]

Looking at the remnants of material on the ruptured tanks it looks like the seat of the fire was in the centre of the three tanks so its possible that the initial strike was on steel work outside the tank that ignited a leak of methane (from pipework perhaps) and this initial fire melted and ruptured the main gas membrane leading to the larger conflagration.

We wont know until the report comes out for certain but as noted before no one was hurt and the damage looks to be relatively localised and limited mainly to replacement gas membrane so by any measure this was a reasonable outcome.

Moxi

[AE-NMidlands]

Looking at the remnants of material on the ruptured tanks it looks like the seat of the fire was in the centre of the three tanks so its possible that the initial strike was on steel work outside the tank that ignited a leak of methane (from pipework perhaps) and this initial fire melted and ruptured the main gas membrane leading to the larger conflagration.

We wont know until the report comes out for certain but as noted before no one was hurt and the damage looks to be relatively localised and limited mainly to replacement gas membrane so by any measure this was a reasonable outcome.

Moxi

could it just be that the radiant heat from the burning tanks has done most damage to the nearest sector of the adjacent tanks?

I was also wondering whether the energy in a lightning strike is so huge that no membrane can possibly withstand a direct hit without being vapourised? In which case the only protection might be a Faraday cage over each tank. I remember seeing film about what happens when a digger goes through an underground electric cable, and the damage cased by the ejection of vapourised metal...
(But With apparently little damage done maybe a Faraday cage wouldn't be cost-effective.)

[AE-NMidlands]

Here we are: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-o ... e-67009657

Oxfordshire explosion: Plant had permission for lightning mast
A food waste recycling plant that suffered a gas explosion when it was hit by lightning was granted permission for a protection mast in June.

Severn Trent Green Power refused to confirm whether the 22m (72ft) mast had been installed prior to the incident in Oxfordshire on Monday.

The Cassington site was hit multiple times by lightning, causing gases to ignite and explode. The company said its site operated in line with all industry standards. It added that it had existing lightning and earthing protection on its biogas tanks.

A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said it would carry out an on-site inspection at the plant.
Severn Trent Green Power received permission from Oxfordshire County Council for a lightning protection mast in June. As part of its application in February, it said the mast would "reduce the risk of a lightning strike on the digester tanks and infrastructure at the facility".
"Having lightning protection at anaerobic digestor sites, such as is proposed at the Cassington plant, is considered to be best practice," it said.

The firm, which says it is the largest producer of renewable energy from food waste in England and Wales, operates 10 other anaerobic digester facilities and five composting sites.
A company spokesperson said following the incident parts of the plant were "up and running again" and that repairs were "largely limited to the tops of three containers is taking place".