Volatile chemical storage tank grounding system
OwnerKirk S. Chynoweth, Lee B. Howardinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chemical above ground non-metallic storage tank has an inner tank grounding system to minimize a risk of a spark caused by a nearby lightning strike or a static discharge. An anchor is lowered via cable to a bottom of the tank. The top of the cable is secured to an anchor attached to a roof (or side) of the tank. A ground wire is run from the anchor to ground.
Claims16
A method to mitigate an electric discharge in a non-metallic chemical storage tank, the method comprising the steps of:
- lowering a conductive anchor via a conductive cable through a hole in a roof of a chemical storage tank;
- resting the conductive anchor on a bottom of the chemical storage tank;
- attaching a top of the cable to an anchor on the roof;
- running a ground wire from the anchor to a ground;
- making the conductive cable and the anchor from stainless steel and making the conductive cable a smooth sided multi-wire cable;
- and
- forming the anchor from at least three angled legs, each leg having a base to rest on a flat surface and an angled rod to attach to a central post.
A method to mitigate an electric discharge in a non-metallic chemical storage tank, the method comprising the steps of:
- lowering a conductive anchor via a conductive cable through a hole in a roof of a chemical storage tank;
- resting the conductive anchor on a bottom of the chemical storage tank;
- attaching a top of the cable to an anchor on the roof;
- running a ground wire from the anchor to a ground;
- and
- forming the anchor from at least three angled legs, each leg having a base to rest on a flat surface and an angled rod to attach to a central post.
A grounding anchor for a non-metallic fluid tank used for storing a methane-infused fluid, the grounding anchor comprising:
- a central vertical rod having a threaded top;
- at least three solid stainless steel legs each having a horizontal base segment attached to the central vertical rod and having an angled upper segment connected to the central vertical rod;
- and
- said grounding anchor having a weight of at least about four pounds and a maximum weight of about ten pounds.
A grounding system to ground a non-metallic fluid tank, the grounding system comprising:
- an upper tank anchor affixed to an upper segment of a non-metallic fluid tank;
- a conductive cable connected to the upper tank anchor at a top end;
- said conductive cable having a length to allow a bottom end to reach a bottom of the non-metallic fluid tank from the upper tank anchor;
- a conductive metal anchor attached to the bottom end of the conductive cable;
- said conductive metal anchor having a weight of at least about four pounds to a weight of about ten pounds;
- a grounding wire connected to the upper tank anchor and connected to an earth ground;
- and
- wherein the conductive metal anchor further comprises a stainless steel tripod having at least three angled legs forming a base and a central post forming a connector to the conductive cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.