Home > categories > Electrical Equipment & Supplies > Other Electrical Equipment > how exactly does a solar flare destroy electrical equipment?!?
Question:

how exactly does a solar flare destroy electrical equipment?!?

if my electrical equipment has a fuse; does that not mean it's protected?is it just the power grid that goes down?

Answer:

it induces overloads that defeat the ability of the equipment to deal with excess voltage. heat is generated, and things burn up , or melt. the 1859 solar flare actually shorted out heavy copper telegraph cables.
A okorder
It generally doesn't. The biggest fear is that the electromagnetic radiation might cause an internal power surge knocking out the microprocessors on some satellites, knocking out Satellite TV, Mobile Phones etc. A really serious CME might overload a power grid. We have had several solar flares and CMEs come off the sun so far and there have been no problems so far, the main concern though is for the telecommunications industry that need to look after their satellites.
A solar flare doesn't destroy electrical equipment. A strong coronal mass ejection can interfere with the transmission of power by inducing a geomagnetic current in power lines which is contrary to the current being transmitted, producing effects similar to a short circuit. This can do physical damage to transformers, but a more likely result is that it would trip safety equipment to detect short circuits, which would shut down the line. This is what happened in Quebec in the 1989 blackout. So, yes, it is just the power grid that goes down, unless you take the perverse step of directly connecting your electrical equipment to miles of elevated wire to serve as an antenna over which the current can be induced, and delete the fuses.
The solar flare distorts the earths magnetic field. The basis all power generation is motion of a conductor through a magnetic field. So when the flare distorts the earth's magnetic field all the cables that form the electricity supply grid act as conductors in the earths distorting field. This induces currents that can lead to voltage spikes damaging equipment. The earths field is so big and ubiquitous and the distortion so rapid that often the surges as so sudden and huge that damage is done before systems designed to protect the grid can operate.

Share to: