Showing papers on "Blackout published in 2003"
06 Jan 2003
TL;DR: While the absolute frequency of disruptions of all sizes may be reduced, the underlying forces can still cause the relative frequency of large disruptions to small disruptions to remain the same, and efforts to mitigate small disruptions can even increase the frequency ofLarge disruptions.
Abstract: Electric power transmission systems are a key infrastructure and blackouts of these systems have major direct and indirect consequences on the economy and national security. Analysis of North American Electrical Reliability Council blackout data suggests the existence of blackout size distributions with power tails. This is an indication that blackout dynamics behave as a complex dynamical system. Here, we investigate how these complex system dynamics impact the assessment and mitigation of blackout risk. The mitigation of failures in complex systems needs to be approached with care. The mitigation efforts can move the system to a new dynamic equilibrium while remaining near criticality and preserving the power tails. Thus, while the absolute frequency of disruptions of all sizes may be reduced, the underlying forces can still cause the relative frequency of large disruptions to small disruptions to remain the same. Moreover, in some cases, efforts to mitigate small disruptions can even increase the frequency of large disruptions. This occurs because the large and small disruptions are not independent but are strongly coupled by the dynamics.
104 citations
Journal Article•
79 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed that serious attention be directed towards assuring the continuation of essential missions even after the grid has failed, and they outline a program to lower the social costs of power failures through successful preservation of those essential missions.
76 citations
01 Nov 2003
TL;DR: A U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force was created following a massive power outage on August 14, 2003 which affected approximately 50 million people in the Midwest and Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada.
Abstract: A U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force was created following a massive power outage on August 14, 2003 which affected approximately 50 million people in the Midwest and Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada. The Task Force divided its work into two phases. The first phase of work was to investigate the outage, and to determine its causes and why it was not contained. The second phase involved recommendations to reduce the possibility of future outages and to minimize the scope of any that may occur. The chapters of this report dealt with the following issues: the North American electric power system and its reliability organizations; status of the Northeastern power grid before the blackout sequence began; how and why the blackout began; the cascade stage of the blackout; the August 14 blackout compared with previous major North American outages; performance of nuclear power plants affected by the blackout; and, physical and cyber security aspects of the blackout. Three public forums will be held in which the public will have the opportunity to comment on the report and present recommendations for consideration by the Task Force. The report indicates that the loss of FirstEnergy's overloaded Sammis-Star line triggered the cascade. Its 345-kV line into northern Ohio from eastern Ohio began tripping out because the lines were in contact with overgrown trees. The loss of the line created major and unsustainable burdens on lines in adjacent areas. The cascade spread rapidly as lines and generating units automatically took themselves out of service to avoid physical damage. The blackout had many contributing factors in common with earlier outages including: inadequate tree trimming, failure to identify emergency conditions, inadequate operator training, and inadequate regional-scale visibility over the power system. Contributing factors to the August 14 blackout included: inadequate inter-regional visibility over the power system; dysfunction of control area SCADA/EMS system; and, a lack of adequate backup capability to that system. It was noted that the nuclear power plants did not trigger the blackout. All nuclear plants shutdown and responded in a manner consistent with plant designs and safety functions. Analysis to date shows no evidence that a malicious cyber event played a role in the power outage. 4 tabs., 47 figs., 4 appendices.
60 citations
TL;DR: It is found that the two blackout types exhibited a similar range and distribution of corresponding blood alcohol concentrations and most en bloc blackouts involved concurrent use of illicit substances; polysubstance use was reported for few fragmentary blackouts.
Abstract: Objective: En bloc and fragmentary blackouts are distinguishable forms of alcohol-induced amnesia. The former are instances of full and permanent memory loss for intoxicated events, whereas the latter are episodes for which retrieval of experiences is facilitated by provision of cues. Beyond this nosological difference, little is known about descriptive dimensions of the two blackout types. The current study assessed their characteristics as reported by a group of heavy drinking young adults. Method: A sample of 136 young adult volunteers (54% male; mean [SD] age = 22.71 [2.23]) were administered a Time-Line Follow-Back assessment, expanded to gather descriptive information about the occurrence and characteristics of en bloc and fragmentary blackouts. Results: Although overall reporting of blackouts by the sample mirrored rates reported in prior research, prevalence and incidence of fragmentary blackouts were more than threefold those of en bloc blackouts. A surprising finding was that the two blackout ty...
58 citations
TL;DR: This work investigates the application of seasonal constraints for the set of the Emergency Diesel Generation of a typical four-loop pressurized water reactor in order to planning and optimizing its surveillance test policy.
39 citations
TL;DR: A widespread blackout that affects 50 million people should never occur with properly designed systems and operating procedures in place as discussed by the authors... Yet local outages are bound to occur, and consumers should consider just how much reliability is enough.
36 citations
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the major events that occurred as the blackout initiated and evolved and identify the technical causes characterising the different phases of the process which led to the general blackout.
Abstract: On September 28, 2003 the Italian Power System experienced an electric power blackout. The outage affected an area with an estimated 60 million people and load variation in the continental grid from about 24000 MW at the early hours of the day, up to 50000 MW during the central part of the day. The event which caused the blackout began at 3:01:00 am and proceeded up to 3:28:00. Power was restored after three hours in the North area and during the same day in the large part of Italy. The energy not delivered amounts to 180GWh. The paper explains the major events that occurred as the blackout initiated and evolved and identifies the technical causes characterising the different phases of the process which led to the general blackout. It lists the sequence of the interconnection loss and reconstructs the dynamic phases of unstable phenomena leading to the separation from Europe. The subsequent slow death throes of the separated Italian network with a cascade of generator tripping is also described up to final blackout.
32 citations
Journal Article•
22 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the issues concerned with the parallel operation and interconnection of emergency and standby synchronous generation resources with the electric power system and discuss different strategies for bringing this installed base into service during such periods.
Abstract: Experience has shown that the demand for electricity imposes excessive peaks for short periods of time. On a yearly basis, these "needle peaks" exist for less than 200 h cumulatively. However, meeting them has produced excessively high costs of electric energy or rolling blackouts when the additional energy was not available. A viable alternative to this excessive cost or blackout is the use of installed emergency and standby capacity for these short intervals of time. To meet the challenges of orchestrating a safe and acceptable interface of the varied power sources, utility companies and state regulators are struggling with the development of suitable interconnect requirements. While there are different strategies for bringing this installed base into service during such periods, this discussion centers on those issues concerned with the parallel operation and interconnection of emergency and standby synchronous generation resources with the electric power system.
TL;DR: In this article, an international investigative team has reported its findings from the events preceding the 14 August 2003 blackout in North America, definitive answers about why and how the large system failed can be used to understand how the network's operations rapidly spiraled out of control that day.
Abstract: Now that an international investigative team has reported its findings from the events preceding the 14 August 2003 blackout in North America, definitive answers about “why and how” the large system failed can be used to understand how the network's operations rapidly spiraled out of control that day. Space weather effects have been ruled out as a cause of this blackout, but the small, multipoint failures that triggered it could easily have been caused by space weather.
13 Jul 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss a mechanism of an overvoltage phenomenon during a restoration period in which, about 0.2 seconds or more after a transformer is energized, a voltage becomes maximum in excess of 200% of the rated voltage.
Abstract: A system of Kyushu Electric Power Company Inc. or KEPCO (about 19 GW) belongs to the western Japan system (110 GW) and has a 500-kV and 220-kV transmission line in a loop configuration. Japan's power system has high reliability and experienced no blackout for the past several decades. However, there is a possibility, though very slight, of a blackout in the event of a big earthquake or unforeseen accident. Considering the risk of blackout, KEPCO has been conducting studies on system restoration. This paper discusses a mechanism of an overvoltage phenomenon during a restoration period in which, about 0.2 seconds or more after a transformer is energized, a voltage becomes maximum in excess of 200% of the rated voltage. The paper also discusses countermeasures against this phenomenon.
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the management of the blackout in Stockholm's northwestern suburbs, most importantly in Sweden's center for high-tech industry in Kista, on March 11, 2001.
Abstract: The study examines the management of the blackout in Stockholm’s northwestern suburbs, most importantly in Sweden’s center for high-tech industry in Kista, on March 11, 2001 The blackout, which was a result of a cable fire, was one of Sweden’s most comprehensive power disturbances ever and its effects were dramatic for the residents, the accountable power company, and the city leadershipThe crisis management displayed by the operational units, public administrations, municipal companies and private corporations is examined, and the communication between these actors is considered throughout the report Seven decision occasions are selected and scrutinized The case is then analyzed and compared to similar cases studied by CRiSMART researchers, most notably: the blackouts in Auckland, New Zealand (1998) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (1999), and the power outages which followed the wake of the ice storm in eastern Canada (1998) Some examples of best practices in crisis management are also presented based on the case findings
01 Sep 2003
TL;DR: If you were one of the unfortunate millions affected by the USA Northeast blackout of 2003, then loss of Internet connectivity probably was not your biggest problem.
Abstract: If you were one of the unfortunate millions affected by the USA Northeast blackout of 2003, then loss of Internet connectivity probably was not your biggest problem. Whether trapped in a subway, stranded in an airport, simmering in unrelenting heat, or just sitting in the dark, 50 million people experienced inconveniences far more trying than loss of E-mail and Web surfing capacities.
Patent•
23 May 2003
TL;DR: In this article, an instantaneous blackout detecting circuit is used to detect an abrupt drop of a power source voltage due to abrupt failure of a cooling device body for a laser oscillator.
Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assure safety and reliability of cooling device body for a laser oscillator, and to protect the laser medium of the laser oscillator. SOLUTION: A control part 16 which controls refrigeration cycle and cooling cycle comprises a calculation device 17 which at least controls a compressor 3 and a heater 14, and an instantaneous blackout detecting circuit 26 which is electrically connected to the calculation device 17 and detects instantaneous blackout due to abrupt drop of a power source voltage. If the instantaneous blackout detecting circuit 26 detects an instantaneous blackout equal to or longer than the semi-cycle of power source frequency during operation of the compressor, a temperature control for a laser oscillator 12 using refrigeration cycle and cooling cycle is interrupted.
Patent•
30 May 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed an image processor capable of acquiring a standard time for automatically setting the time information of a built-in clock when a power is supplied after installation or after instantaneous disconnection such as blackout.
Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of acquiring a standard time for automatically setting the time information of a built-in clock when a power is supplied after installation or after instantaneous disconnection such as blackout. SOLUTION: The image processor comprises a reader part 1, a printer part 2, and a controller 3. It comprises a power-supply sensing part and a blackout sensing part, and when a power supply is sensed or a power supply is sensed after blackout is sensed, a standard time acquiring means acquires a standard time to automatically set the time information of the built-in clock.
23 Jun 2003
TL;DR: This paper presents all reliability evaluation hypotheses and practical results, which were obtained, based on the blackout analysis, and a preliminary probabilistic criterion is suggested, deemed useful in the short-term power systems operations environment.
Abstract: This paper presents all reliability evaluation hypotheses and practical results, which were obtained, based on the blackout analysis. A preliminary probabilistic criterion is then suggested, deemed useful in the short-term power systems operations environment.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the parallel operation and interconnection of emergency and standby synchronous generation resources with the electric power system and discuss different strategies for bringing this installed base into service during such periods.
Abstract: For pt.I see ibid., vo.39, no.4, p.1214-25, 2003. Experience has shown that the demand for electricity imposes excessive peaks for short periods of time. On a yearly basis, these "needle peaks" exist for less than 200 h cumulatively. However, meeting them has produced excessively high costs of electric energy or rolling blackouts when the additional energy was not available. A viable alternative to this excessive cost or blackout is the use of installed emergency and standby capacity for these short intervals of time. To meet the challenges of orchestrating a safe and acceptable interface of the varied power sources, utility companies and state regulators are struggling with the development of suitable interconnect requirements. While there are different strategies for bringing this installed base into service during such periods, this discussion centers on those issues concerned with the parallel operation and interconnection of emergency and standby synchronous generation resources with the electric power system.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the August 2003 power blackout in north-east USA and Canada and argue that UK industry observers believe the Government's energy policy could lead to US-style blackouts in the future, possibly even as early as winter 2003.
Abstract: This paper discusses the August 2003 power blackout in north-east USA and Canada. Some UK industry observers believe the Government's energy policy could lead to US-style blackouts in the future, possibly even as early as winter 2003. A lot of generating capacity has been taken out of the UK market due to falling wholesale electricity prices, which puts extra strain on the system during peak load conditions. Although many in the industry feel that the UK grid is in better shape than that of the US right now, fewer are convinced that the future situation looks quite as bright.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the world's largest battery energy storage system (BESS) was inaugurated in Fairbanks, Alaska, which will stabilize the grid and reduce the outages Golden Valley's customers experience by 65 percent.
Abstract: The recent blackout in the northeastern US and Canada has shown the importance of a reliable power supply On August 26, 2003, the world's largest battery energy storage system (BESS) was inaugurated in Fairbanks, Alaska. The BESS will stabilize the grid and reduce the outages Golden Valley's customers experience by 65 per cent.
13 Jul 2003
TL;DR: The system modeling presented in this paper is aimed to verify whether the hardware design could accommodate the data traffic load and to avoid overpaying for hardware equipment.
Abstract: Various types of special protection systems (SPSs) for preventing major blackout and enhancing system reliability have been implemented worldwide. For an SPS that covers a wider area, one of the main concerns in the design on the system is the effect of communication conflicts and contention between devices on the total system operation. Contention causes work to be queued or blocked from execution and system performance may suffer as a result. In this paper, a discrete event simulation technique is used to study the communication performance of an SPS. The communication system of an SPS designed for relieving transient and dynamic instability is used for the study. The system modeling presented in this paper is aimed to verify whether the hardware design could accommodate the data traffic load and to avoid overpaying for hardware equipment. Through simulations the interactions among all devices and the bottlenecks of the communication system can be identified. Based on the simulation results, system designers could adopt available options to increase network bandwidth or hardware capability to maintain an adequate performance of the SPS system.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the lessons from power crisis in California and blackout in US and Canada for us and proposed a power reform and development of world power industry based on power crisis and blackout.
Abstract: Power crisis in California and blackout in US and Canada have great influence on power reform and development of world power industry This paper analyzes the lesson from power crisis in California and blackout in US and Canada for us
Journal Article•
23 Jun 2003
TL;DR: A mechanism of an overvoltage phenomenon during a power system restoration, in which after the transformer is first energized, a repetition of saturated and unsaturated states of transformer core flux causes a transformer terminal voltage to increase excessively, is discussed.
Abstract: A system of Kyushu Electric Power Company Inc. or KEPCO (about 19 GW) belongs to the Western Japan system (110GW) and has 500-kV and 220-kV transmission lines in a loop configuration. Considering a risk of blackout, KEPCO has been conducting studies on system restoration. A power system, when it recovers from a blackout, is very small in scale, incomparable to that of a normally operational system. Hence, in a system undergoing a restoration process, overvoltages of a magnitude not conceivable in normal power systems may occur causing damages to power system equipment. This work discusses a mechanism of an overvoltage phenomenon during a power system restoration, in which after the transformer is first energized, a repetition of saturated and unsaturated states of transformer core flux causes a transformer terminal voltage to increase excessively. The work also describes countermeasures for this phenomenon.
Journal Article•
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Creativity, camaraderie, and common sense keep yeast cell biology conference alive during The Blackout.
Abstract: Creativity, camaraderie, and common sense keep yeast cell biology conference alive during The Blackout.