Correntes geomagneticamente induzidas: detecção e influência no sistema elétrico de potência

Abstract

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are mirrored currents on the Earth’s surface, which occur as a function of the movement of ionized particles in the Earth’s magnetic field. Such electrically charged particles are derived from the coronal mass expelled in solar flares, which travel at a speed of approximately 450 km / s. When they come into contact with the magnetosphere, they provide distortions in the magnetic field, which are measured by means of three geomagnetic indices: Kp and Ap, which represent the degree of perturbation of the magnetic field, and Dst, which informs the intensity of the solar storm per hour. When GICs penetrate the electrical power system (SEP) through the grounding of the equipment, problems can occur, such as the heating of network components, as well as disconnections of transmission lines, due to the improper performance of protection devices. It should be noted that, currently, Brazilian energy concessionaires are severely fined by regulatory agencies when there is an unplanned shutdown that is not caused by a permanent shortage. In addition, it is emphasized that the protection devices are devoid of functions capable of detecting the GICs, which also compromise the useful life of some equipment. In this context, an in-depth study of this geomagnetic phenomenon is presented in this paper. To do so, a history of disarranges of the 138 kV ALE SE - SMA1 transmission line, located between the cities of Alegrete and Santa Maria, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, was analyzed according to geomagnetic index data for The period from 2010 to 2015. And together with a study of sunspots, the possibility of occurrence of GICs in this LT was evidenced, which may justify many of the indeterminate disconnections. Thus, the present work presents a technique to detect GICs, which can be applied in digital relays or in computational tools to determine the causes of undue disconnections without apparent justification. This method consists of a morphological filter for the detection of these currents, which was implemented in Matlab R and tested from the current signal processing generated by the simulation of a test system in the EMTP-ATP R software. The values of GICs used to test their performance were obtained from OPENDSS R software, which calculates geomagnetically induced current flow from technical data of the LT, such as the length of the line and the respective latitudes and longitudes of its terminals. The results obtained through the simulations in OPENDSS showed the occurrence of GICs in the studied line. The results obtained from the processing of the signals obtained through the simulation of the system proved the excellence of the proposed technique.