adsf

1. BLACKOUTS AND HOW THEY CAN
BE PREVENTED
Presented by:
Ike Ume
Cameron Weygandt

2. Presentation objectives
• What is a blackout?
• Categories of blackouts
• Historical events of blackouts
throughout the world
• Causes and Effects of having blackouts?
• Ways to prevent blackouts?

3. Reality Check
• How long can we really survive without power
• How dependent are we on power?
• How blackouts really affect us?

10. • Cambridge 2012 – no power/traffic lights/elevators
• Result-City to a complete stand still

11. Why we study this?
Increasing trend

12. Historical Context
Blackouts in Northeast United States
• 1965
• Ontario and Northeast
US
• 30 Million without
power
• 5 major connector lines
between two countries
overload causes
• 2003
• Ontario and Northeast
US
• 55 Million without
power
• Coal Plant overload
causes

13. Blackouts in South America
• 2009
• 87 Million people without
power
• Southern States of Brazil
and Paraguay
• Inclement weather
caused Itaipu Dam to fail
leading to mass overload
• 1999
• 97 Million people without
power
• Southern States of Brazil
• Lightning strike to
substation in Bauru, São
Paulo
• Above lightning strike not
enough signal, below
lightning strike, overloads

14. Asia
• 2005
• 100 Million people
without power
• West Java
• Transmission line
between Cilegon and
Saguling tripped leading
to plant overloads
• 2012
• 670 Million people
without power
• Northern India
• Overuse of electricity in
Northern States causes
overload of entire
power system

16. Hurricane Sandy
• 2012
• 10 Million people without power
• East Coast of United States
• Hurricane winds causing system to collapse
• Computer models predicted accurate model
• Long Island still missing power for 38k people as of November 12th

17. Causes:Under-Frequency
-Reasons Low Frequency load-shedding is
necessary:
-Resonant frequency of turbine blades at lower
frequencies
-Generators designed to operate at certain
frequency
-Consumer devices built to use specific
frequency
-Generator may start to appear as load on grid
-Lowers quality of power outputted

18. Under-voltage
-Reasons under-voltage has become prevalent
-Power plants moved further away from cities major loads
-People don’t want power plants near city
-Cheaper to build power plant near resources
-Problems with distant power plant use:
-Reactive loading
-Voltage Drop
-AC and similar loads
-More prevalent today
-Problems with these loads:
-AC motor stalls at low voltage and increases current to
continue operating
-High current causes loading issues
-High current causes power line drooping
-Power line drooping caused 2003 blackout grounding
-Cascading issue

19. Power Grid
• Essential not luxury of modern countries
-quality and quantity of power
-History:
• 20th December 1880-First large scale outdoor lighting with arc lamps by Charles
Brush
• 20th September 1882-Centralized commercial power grid -Edison’s 257 Pearl Street
DC power grid in New York City
• 1893 World’s fair-AC large scale lighting (AC won over DC)
• 15th November 1896-First long distance transmission of commercial electrical
power from Westinghouse’s AC plant in Niagara Falls to Buffalo, NY
-Grid in general
-Stability of grid been seen as problem since 1920s
• Generators have regulators, breakers, and interlocks
• Transformers have fuses or relays
• Transmission lines have ceramic insulators and specially designed towers
• Substations incorporate transformers and breakers
• Consumer has typically 230V-120V power panel and breakers with overcurrent
protection

20. Aging Infrastructure and Grid
• consumption increase and production decrease
-new nuclear power plants not built for 30 years
-fear from 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl
• EPA restrictions on coal plants make coal power expensive or
nearly impossible
• use smaller generators rather than a few large ones
-allows for maintenance without stressing grid
-allows for generator loss without large effect to grid
-allows for wind turbines and other eco generators
• replace equipment with new more expensive devices if it needs
replacing anyways

21. Social Effects of Blackouts
• Divided between three effects
– Resources
– Economic
– Safety

22. Social Effects… Virginia
• Used 110 Megawatts
– 40% Homes
– 30% Offices/business
– 20% Factories
– 10% Government facilities

23. Social Effects… Resources
• Water
– No ability to pump water
– Water treatment plants
• Gasoline
– Can’t pump
– High demand
– Ex: Hurricanes

24. Social Effects… Economic
• Refrigerated business
– Food Service
– Ex: DC, VA, MD thunderstorms 6/29/2012
– Pharmaceuticals
• Data Dependent Companies
– Financial firms, insurance agencies, IT
– Stock Markets

25. Social Effects… Safety
• Immediate
– Communications down
– Prevention systems obsolete
• Long Term
– Looting
– Violent Crimes

26. Backup power for homes
• Home electric generators can reduce the impact of a blackout
on private citizens.
• Require fuel, which may be difficult to obtain during a large
scale blackout.
• Initial investment may outweigh the benefit of saving the
contents of a refrigerator.
• In some cases, could be a life saver.

27. Backup power for critical facilities
• Critical facilities must not lose power
– Hospitals
– Data Centers
• Large redundant backup generators installed.
• Temporary battery power for short blackouts, and to give
generators time to start up.
• Investment necessary to avoid great losses.

28. Blackout Prevention
-Not possible to protect for all losses
-instead built to detect abnormalities and respond
accordingly
-Protection is often not put into place until after disaster
to protect against further losses
-protection somewhat useless without interconnection
Smart Grids

29. Controlling/regulation consumption
• Raising the cost of power during peak hours
• Peak hours=summer time-> high usage
• Incentives for turning off your ac unit in the summer and
letting the cool air recirculate for a few hours.

30. Energy efficiency
• Machines, appliances, materials
• Incentives
• Ex. $100 rebates for thermostat
• Windows

31. Maintenance
Utilities have schedules which are either:
•Time Based : schedules-> replace parts on a
manufacturers recommended interval.
•Condition Based :maintenance ->takes into
account random events such as weather and
corrosion in order to inspect and replace parts.

32. Maintenance
Maintenance of a power grid is quite simple. There are two
typical activities that take place during maintenance;
inspection and testing & replacement. Here are some details
regarding inspection and testing & replacement:
Inspection:
• Conductors for overheating, corona, sag, insulation
degradation
• Bolted connections of all equipment for physical damage,
corona and overheating.
• Tower condition i.e. corrosion, foundations etc.
• Equipment enclosures for corrosion i.e. transformers,
switchgear, reclosers.
• Insulators for corona damage.
• Tree growth for disturbance of electrical right of way

33. Maintenace
Testing and replacement:
• Performing resistance test on bolted connections,
conductors, etc.
• Performing insulation-resistance test on
equipment
• Testing equipment such as reclosers, circuit
breakers, etc for proper operation.
• Performing shield continuity test on conductors
• Trimming overgrown trees to avoid power lines
• Replacing oil filled transformer fluids.

34. Maintenance
Above left: Two line men working on replacing
damaged power lines
Above: Utility worker trimming back a tree in the
electrical right of way.
Left: Power plant electricians perform work on
underground concrete encased duct bank that had
collapsed.

35. Future
• some computer interface with grid currently with many digital
interlocks
-more computer control needed
-computer control dangerous with hacking and viruses
• many devices do not communicate with regional operator
• if operator or main computer can’t see it, then it can’t be avoided
• large effect on 2003 blackout
• better training needed in some cases
• some smart house meters have been installed but not widespread
• possible invasion of privacy
• opens house for burglary

36. What To Take From This
• Historical
– Happens all over the world… no one excluded
– Notice a trend of reasons of blackouts
• Causes
– Under Frequency
– Under Voltage
– Aging Infrastructure
• Effects
– Social
– Backup Power
• Preventative Measures
– Regulation
– Maintenance
– Smart Grids

37. Questions?