SOLAR STROM

THIRUMAL
thirumaleee@gmail.com
 INTRODUCTION
• The sun emits ionized particles into space on both a steady and a
transient basis by means of what is called the solar wind
• The steady interaction of the solar wind with the earth’s ionosphere
and geomagnetic field has no adverse effect on electric power
networks.
• A magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles,
such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic
magnetic field of a planet or similar body.
• The ionosphere is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, between
the thermosphere and the exosphere, distinguished because it is
ionized by solar radiation.
• At night the F layer is the only layer of significant ionization present,
while the ionization in the E and D layers is extremely low. During
the day, the D and E layers become much more heavily ionized, as
does the F layer, which develops an additional, weaker region of
ionization known as the F1 layer. The F2 layer persists by day and
night and is the region mainly responsible for the refraction of radio
waves
IONOSPHERE LAYERS

• AIR ZONE AROUND THE EARTH

• When the solar wind comes to the earth it meets the Earth's
magnetic field. Most of the tiny particles in the solar wind are
pushed around the earth because of this magnetic field Just like
water makes a curved wave in front of a boat.
• After passing through a shock wave at the bow shock, the wind
flows around the magnetosphere and stretches it into a long tail..
• Solar wind particles also rush through funnel-like openings at the
North and South Poles, releasing tremendous energy when they hit
the upper atmosphere.
• The Northern and Southern Lights (auroras) are the evidence we
can see of this energy transfer from the Sun to the Earth.
• A great many of the tiny pieces of matter in the earth's
magnetosphere don't come from the sun's solar wind. They come
from the earth.
• This produces electrical system problems about every 11years
during peak of the sunspot cycle.
 Equatorial Electrojet
• The equatorial electrojet (EEJ) is a narrow ribbon of current flowing
eastward in the day time equatorial region of the Earth's ionosphere.
• At the magnetic dip equator, where the geomagnetic field is
horizontal, this electric field results in an enhanced eastward current
flow within ±3 degrees of the magnetic equator, known as the
equatorial electrojet (EEJ).
• A modern observatory has a fluxgate magnetometer, which gives
vectorial data conventionally expressed in terms of either the
Cartesian components (X [north], Y [east], and Z [down]) or the
horizontal–polar components (horizontal intensity H = [X2 + Y2]1/2,
declination D = arctan[Y/X], and Z [down]).
• The resulting data have an absolute accuracy of better than 5 nT,
which permits meaningful analysis of magnetic variation that can
occur over time scales ranging from the acquisition cadence out to
the observatory’s lifetime.
• The biggest effects in our hemisphere are felt at northern latitudes.
The magnetic storm may have high activity producing an electric field
~ 10-2V/m for periods ~hour, with intermittent quiescent periods for a
duration of about 24 hours as shown in Fig.
 Earth Potentials
• "earth potentials of 5 to 10
volts per mile are sufficient to
produce direct currents in
transformer windings of great
enough magnitude to cause
saturation“
• Induced voltage on a 473 mile
(368 km) overhead
transmission line from a typical
small solar storm - orders of
magnitude lower than from a
severe storm as shown in fig.
• This can decrease transformer
life. In rare occasions, very
large and very expensive
transformers have been
permanently damaged during
periods of very high solar
stormactivity.
 Study the effects of Solar Storms
• With proper scaling, it may be possible to extrapolate the effects to
SS-GIC and MHD EMP.
• If we can determine that the effects of MHD EMP are no more
severe than SS-GIC, then we have a relatively well known base for
comparison of the probable effects.
• It is likely that the SS GIC produces transformer core saturation for
much more than 10-1of the ac cycle since transformer cores are
operated at from 50 to 90% of saturation (at the maximum
magnetization current), to minimize overall costs.
AEMP Ionospheric current loops with magnetic
movement mirror image in the earth