Lightning Expert From ITB Ensures Pertamina's Tank Quality Is Good, But...

Clouds of black smoke from tank 36 T 102 that burned at the Pertamina Cilacap Factory were watched by residents (BETWEEN PHOTOS/Idhad Zakaria/foc)

JAKARTA - Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) lightning expert, Professor Reynaldo Zoro ensures that the quality of Pertamina's tanks has met various standards. This includes standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

But the problem is, lightning in tropical areas like Indonesia is indeed much stronger than in sub-tropical areas. So even though the quality of Pertamina's tank is considered very good, it is possible that it could be perforated when struck by lightning.

"Yes, the quality of the tank is very good, it has met various standards, including the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard. But tropical lightning is very strong. If it strikes the tank, it can melt, it can cause holes," said Professor Reynaldo Zoro, Tuesday, November 16.

Previously, the Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) also gave an early warning that when the tank catches fire, heavy rain accompanied by lightning will hit Cilacap. A similar condition was also conveyed by the Chief Executive of the Cilacap Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Wijonardi.

Zoro, who is also the Head of the Lightning Research Center (LRC), School of Electrical and Informatics Engineering (STEI)-ITB, added that the characteristics of lightning in the tropics are indeed different from those in the subtropics.

Subtropical lightning is smaller, shorter, and has less impulse. While the tail of tropical lightning is longer, higher, steeper, so the payload is more.

"Tropical lightning has a high strike, large amplitude, the wave is very steep, the impulse force can be devastating, and the charge of the lightning current is much larger," he said.

Because of the extraordinary characteristics of tropical lightning, he added, cases of refinery fires caused by lightning also did not only occur in Indonesia.

According to him, abroad, especially in the tropics, similar incidents also often occur, one of which is often burned by lightning is a refinery in Malaysia. Because the conditions are similar to Indonesia.

In addition to the quality of the tanks that have met the requirements, Zoro continued, Pertamina's refineries are actually also equipped with Free Standing Mast (FSM) and Extended Mast Terminal (EMT) technology on structures that function as lightning protection systems.

In fact, lightning protection technologies such as FSM and EMT, he said, are also available at the Cilacap refinery, but there are indeed some tanks that have not used this technology.

"In fact, in Cilacap, the refinery has also been installed. There have been more than 17 strikes. So if you don't use that technology, try to imagine what will happen," he said.