Some researchers and industry practitioners are concerned about the possible impacts of solar storms on power systems.
engineering
Description
Some researchers and industry practitioners are concerned about the possible impacts of solar storms on power systems. Specifically, geomagnetic disturbances
can induce a large one-directional electromotive force, resulting in large
direct currents.
(called Geomagnetically Induced Currents, or GIC’s), which would be roughly the same
on each of the three phase conductors of an a.c. transmission line. (The effect may
resemble that of an electromagnetic pulse from an above-ground nuclear explosion, but
let’s not dwell on that. 2020 has been hard enough.)
(a) How might a direct current on a three-phase transmission line present a problem—
how could it physically damage anything?
(b) Consider the potential damage to a transformer connected at either end of the line.
With respect to GIC’s, does it matter if a three-phase transformer is delta- or wye
connected? Explain.
(c) Suppose a large, geomagnetically induced d.c. electromotive force acts on the primary side of a wye-wye transformer. Which of the following characteristics in the
transformer model would be most relevant for limiting the damage? Explain your
choice.
