Blackout

About: Blackout is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2088 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30433 citations.

Moving Target Defense to Improve Industrial Control System Resiliency

Abstract: Historically, control systems have primarily depended upon their isolation from the Internet and from traditional information technology (IT) networks as a means of maintaining secure operation in the face of potential remote attacks over computer networks. However, these networks are incrementally being upgraded and are becoming more interconnected with external networks so they can be effectively managed and configured remotely. Examples of control systems include the electrical power grid, smart grid networks, microgrid networks, oil and natural gas refineries, water pipelines, and nuclear power plants. Given that these systems are becoming increasingly connected, computer security is an essential requirement as compromises can result in consequences that translate into physical actions and significant economic impacts that threaten public health and safety. Moreover, because the potential consequences are so great and these systems are remotely accessible due to increased interconnectivity, they become attractive targets for adversaries to exploit via computer networks. Several examples of attacks on such systems that have received a significant amount of attention include the Stuxnet attack, the US-Canadian blackout of 2003, the Ukraine blackout in 2015, and attacks that target control system data itself. Improving the cybersecurity of electrical power grids is the focus of our research.

An analysis of large-scale transmission power blackouts from 2005 to 2016

Abstract: Power transmission blackouts, have large technical, economic, and social consequences in the affected areas. As power systems evolve with new customs, technologies and regulations, continuous analysis of recent blackouts is crucial for identifying new trends and for updating prevention measures.In this paper, we analyze 9 major blackouts that happened between 2005 and 2016, to complete previous blackout studies. We classify these blackouts depending on the conditions and events before and during the cascades and identify their main characteristics. Our analysis reveals that blackouts from the last decade tend to happen in periods of normal loading with some important equipment out of service and with highly dependent transmission system regions. Moreover, recent blackouts show a tendency to enter directly the fast cascade, leaving system operators with hardly any time to take any countermeasure.

Probabilistic Model for Studying Blackouts in Power Networks

Abstract: We describe a model which may be useful for studying blackouts in power networks. The model is a combination of the admittance model of the network and the probabilistic model of failures of its components. To compute the total probability of a power outage possible failure events are considered and in each case the possibility of a cascading failure is studied. In each step, faulty components are removed, graph representation of the network is used to detect connected components in the graph, and then, network equations are solved separately in each component. We discuss the problem whether multi-fault events have to be considered when computing the total blackout probability. We show how this model can be used to develop suggestions for improving power network designs. Example power networks are considered to show the usefulness of this approach.