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Research output: Contribution to conference - Without ISBN/ISSN › Poster
Research output: Contribution to conference - Without ISBN/ISSN › Poster
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TY - CONF
T1 - An investigation into space weather impacts on UK power station transformers
AU - Lewis, Zoe
AU - Wild, Jim
AU - Barker, Douglas
AU - Allcock, Matthew
PY - 2021/10/25
Y1 - 2021/10/25
N2 - It is well documented that space weather can impact electricity infrastructure, and several incidents have been observed in recent decades and directly linked to large geomagnetic storms (e.g. the Hydro Quebec incident in 1989). However, less is understood about the impact of lower-level Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) on the health of transformers in the long term. Direct measurements of GIC at power stations are still quite rare, but all transformers sense and record levels of dissolved gases within the insulation, as a way of monitoring transformer health.In this study, the long term impact of geomagnetic activity on 13 power station transformers in the UK was investigated. Dissolved gas measurements between 2010-2015 were used to look for evidence of a link between degradation of the transformer insulation and heightened levels of global SYM-H and the rate of change of the horizontal magnetic field (dB/dt) as measured at the Eskdalemuir magnetometer station. First, case studies of the most significant storms in this time period were examined using dissolved gas analysis (DGA) methods, specifically the Low Energy Degradation Triangle (LEDT). These case studies were then augmented with a statistical survey, including Superposed Epoch Analysis (SEA) of multiple storm events. No evidence of a strong space weather impact can be found during this time period, likely owing to the relatively quiet nature of the Sun during this epoch and the modernity of the transformers studied.
AB - It is well documented that space weather can impact electricity infrastructure, and several incidents have been observed in recent decades and directly linked to large geomagnetic storms (e.g. the Hydro Quebec incident in 1989). However, less is understood about the impact of lower-level Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) on the health of transformers in the long term. Direct measurements of GIC at power stations are still quite rare, but all transformers sense and record levels of dissolved gases within the insulation, as a way of monitoring transformer health.In this study, the long term impact of geomagnetic activity on 13 power station transformers in the UK was investigated. Dissolved gas measurements between 2010-2015 were used to look for evidence of a link between degradation of the transformer insulation and heightened levels of global SYM-H and the rate of change of the horizontal magnetic field (dB/dt) as measured at the Eskdalemuir magnetometer station. First, case studies of the most significant storms in this time period were examined using dissolved gas analysis (DGA) methods, specifically the Low Energy Degradation Triangle (LEDT). These case studies were then augmented with a statistical survey, including Superposed Epoch Analysis (SEA) of multiple storm events. No evidence of a strong space weather impact can be found during this time period, likely owing to the relatively quiet nature of the Sun during this epoch and the modernity of the transformers studied.
KW - space weather
KW - electricity
KW - infrastructure
KW - GIC
KW - power
KW - transformers
M3 - Poster
T2 - 17th European Space Weather Week
Y2 - 25 October 2021 through 29 October 2021
ER -