Posted on 07/24/2014 10:11:00 AM PDT by BenLurkin
On July 23, 2012, the sun unleashed two massive clouds of plasma that barely missed a catastrophic encounter with the Earth’s atmosphere. These plasma clouds, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), comprised a solar storm thought to be the most powerful in at least 150 years.
“If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,” physicist Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado tells NASA.
...
Analysts believe that a direct hit … could cause widespread power blackouts, disabling everything that plugs into a wall socket. Most people wouldn’t even be able to flush their toilet because urban water supplies largely rely on electric pumps.
. . .
According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, the total economic impact could exceed $2 trillion or 20 times greater than the costs of a Hurricane Katrina. Multi-ton transformers damaged by such a storm might take years to repair.
CWG’s Steve Tracton put it this way in his frightening overview of the risks of a severe solar storm: “The consequences could be devastating for commerce, transportation, agriculture and food stocks, fuel and water supplies, human health and medical facilities, national security, and daily life in general.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Connections was a great series. It was that first episode that got be thinking and directed long term.
“Connections was a great series. It was that first episode that got me thinking and directed long term.”
Me too. I think it made a lot of people start thinking like a prepper. That, and Foxfire books and the Whole Earth Catalog...
However, after a few days of none of the above, I expect those nice, peaceful, meek people will become feral animals. I hope I don't have to shoot anyone I know.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
I guess those folks would deny, then, that the Carrington Event of 1859 never took place.
Something evil this way comes.
They talk about it as southern hospitality but its really flyover hospitality that can be found pretty much anywhere a few miles off the interstate.
Yep. We like our Western hospitality here, like elsewhere.
Very good explanation. You are completely correct.
The thing about a CME is that we would have warning that it is coming. Power grid operators understand, for the most part, where they are vulnerable.
If an 1860 type event happened today - one sure-fire way to deal with it is to shut the grid down for a day, maybe two.
Then restart it over the next few days. It would be a huge pain in the butt, but the grid would not incur any damage from the event.
It’s the “not quite as bad” events that will cause the most damage - because operators may not do the right things to protect the grid.
We know how to completely protect it from a CME event (several ways, actually) - it just takes money
“No way of telling what a CME induced power spike would, in reality, do.”
It’s not really a “spike” - it may be 30V/km in induced voltage. It is “quasi-dc” and it will build slowly.
The danger is these DC currents running through transformers - causing half-cycle saturation.
An unloaded grid would be impacted very little. Better yet, shut down the grid.
Wouldn't there be some *bleed off* to ground if it is a slow building quasi-DC pulse, thus minimizing the build up?
Duration of such a DC pulse and the amount of current available from it would determine if the transformers would saturate, in my way of thinking.
If there was no load (ground path) on the power line (big a$$ inductor), wouldn't the pulse continue to rise?
Disconnecting and shutting down would be the best solution however.
We live in a society in which most people couldn't flush a toilet if you gave them a five gallon bucket of water with instructions on the bottom.
And murderees.
I’ve got a 5 gallon bucket and a lake 50 feet away. I keep an open hole in the ice all winter just in case the pipes freeze and I need to flush toilets.
Well, they would know how, but they'd usually be out of water.
Why today but not back then?
Great post, cc!
Betcha Nikola Tesla would have some interesting comments on the subject...
Back then, most were farmers.
And beyond that, they were farmers who didn’t depend (or even KNOW) about electricity.
AND... the population density was much, much lower.
“Wouldn’t there be some *bleed off* to ground if it is a slow building quasi-DC pulse, thus minimizing the build up?”
Not really. It’s still a moving magnetic field against a wire - it will induce the voltage/current into the lines. This would go to ground through transformer windings.
Even though the voltage is fairly low, over distances typical of a power transmission line, it can be significant enough to half-cycle saturate a transformer, particularly autotransformers.
The best way to block these Geomagnetically Induced Currents is to put a capacitor in series with the line - effectively preventing any current flow. These are substantial devices and are already in place on a number of transmission lines in norther latitudes, such as in Quebec. There are other ways to prevent it. Each has it’s own advantages/challenges
“pipelines are going to be a huge headache” anti-corrosion systems, some of which are actively operated will need to be checked every time.
You’re right that pipelines can facilitate current flow in nearby transmission lines (they often share rights-of-way. Transmission lines near the ocean also respond differently.
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