On the flow of geomagnetically induced currents in an electric power transmission network

Abstract

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in conductor networks are among the ground-level effects of space weather. GICs are a possible source of problems to the system. Today, electric power transmission grids are the most important concern regarding GICs, which may in the worst cases lead to blackouts in large areas and permanent damage to transformers. The evaluation of GIC risks and the design of possible countermeasures require estimation of expected GIC magnitudes in transformers. This can be achieved by model calculations supplemented by GIC recordings at some sites. Although in principle GICs can flow all over a large galvanically-connected power grid, which should thus be included as a whole in a GIC calculation, the network must usually be restricted somehow in practical computations of GICs. By using a power grid test model, this paper provides a systematic numerical investigation showing that GICs do not flow over very long distances in a power grid, which is a good result and justifies the neglect of the parts of the network that lie far away from the area of primary interest. Besides practical significance in electric power engineering, studies of GICs can be used for space physics and geophysical research as well. It is also important to understand the features of the flow pattern of GICs in a network.