Optimal bonding arrangement for protection of communication signals in the oil and gas industry

Lightning has destructive effects on electrical devices as well as human body. Bonding cages are classically used for protection of structures against lightning effects. Electronic communication signals are specifically sensitive to direct or indirect lightning, which in consequence can cause serious failures and hazards especially in oil and gas industry. With the growing use of digital systems in the industry, there is a need for updating the bonding design to ensure its capability in protection of the communication signals. In this paper, a new design based on induced voltages of lightning on communication cables is proposed. A simulation was performed using commercial computer packages for calculation of direct and indirect lighting effects on signal cables with the frequency and voltage levels currently used in the industry. Various bonding arrangements simulated to evaluate the performance of the system. The results showed that the typical standard recommendations for the bonding design are not sufficient for current requirements regarding the communication signal protection. The proposed design can be used as an update of bonding design for signal protection.