Will Geomagnetic Storms Cause Communication Disruptions ？

What is a geomagnetic storm

Geomagnetic storms are violent disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field, usually caused by the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field. The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released by high-temperature plasma in the sun's atmosphere, which contains high-energy particles and magnetic field perturbations. When the charged particles and magnetic fields in the solar wind interact with the Earth's magnetic field, it can cause drastic changes in the Earth's magnetic field, resulting in geomagnetic storms.

Effects of geomagnetic storms on power grids

1.Signal transmission interference: the power grid cable is not only responsible for power transmission, but also undertakes the task of signal transmission, such as communication signals, control signals, etc. Magnetic field disturbances caused by geomagnetic storms can interfere with signal transmission, resulting in degraded signal quality, transmission interruption, or distortion. This can have an adverse impact on the monitoring, dispatching and control of the grid.
2.Power grid stability impact: Geomagnetic storms may pose challenges to the stability and reliability of the power grid. Magnetic field disturbances can trigger instantaneous changes in current and voltage in the grid, causing the frequency of the grid to deviate from the standard value or voltage fluctuations. This can adversely affect the operation and dispatch of the power system, and even cause power equipment failure, power outages, or power system crashes.
3.Positioning system interference: Geomagnetic storms may interfere with global satellite navigation systems (such as GPS) and other location services systems. Magnetic field disturbance may interfere with the transmission and reception of navigation signals, resulting in reduced positioning accuracy or positioning interruption. This has a negative impact on areas such as navigation applications, traffic management and precise positioning
4.Abnormal current increase: Magnetic field disturbances caused by geomagnetic storms may cause current to surge to the ground, which will abnormally increase the current in the power grid cable. This can lead to cable overload, which can lead to overheating, short circuits, or equipment failures, seriously threatening the safe operation of the power system.

What environmental reliability tests do cables need to perform to better protect against geomagnetic storms?

High and low temperature tests:

Wire and cable may face the influence of different ambient temperatures such as high temperature and low temperature during use, so it is necessary to carry out high and low temperature resistance tests to test the electrical and mechanical properties of wire and cable at different temperatures. High temperature may lead to aging of the insulation layer of the wire and cable, deformation or melting of the conductor, and low temperature may cause the plastic material of the wire and cable to become brittle, resulting in breakage or leakage. Through the high and low temperature test, the durability and quality of wire and cable under different environmental conditions can be verified, to ensure that wire and cable can maintain stable performance and long service life under various environmental conditions, so as to improve its reliability and safety. The high and low temperature test chamber can simulate the high and low temperature environment, and test and evaluate the physical properties, electrical properties, heat resistance, cold resistance and other performance indicators of wire and cable.

High humidity and low humidity test

Humidity and heat tests are used to evaluate the performance of cables in wet environments. An increase in humidity may accompany geomagnetic storms, so testing the humidity and moisture thermal properties of the cable can help prevent the adverse effects of a wet environment on the cable, such as insulation breakdown, corrosion, etc., which means that if the cable or wire is not properly covered with a good quality plastic layer, it may enter the inside of the wire and damage the electrical signal. This can also lead to dangerous conditions such as short circuits and fires. Therefore, it is very important to use a humidity chamber to test the quality of the cable cover in wet weather.

Mechanical strength test

Mechanical strength testing: Mechanical strength testing is used to evaluate the performance of cables under mechanical stress and shock. Geomagnetic storms may be accompanied by natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes, and cables need to have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand external physical forces.

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