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By receiving geomagnetic storm alerts and warnings, power companies can minimize damage and power outages. Similarly, pipeline managers routinely receive alerts and warnings to help them provide an efficient and long-lived system.
Do you recall the scenario with the experienced power grid manager?
A G2 (a moderate Geomagnetic Storm) warning* was issued, and a Space Weather Prediction Center employee called a local electric power company that had requested to be contacted when G2 alerts were issued.
SWPC Employee: John, I am calling to let you know that we just passed G1, and we are putting a warning out for a G2.
Customer: Thank you. I knew you were going to call because we just saw neutral line spikes in our system. Are we expecting any more? Do you think it will get higher than a G2?
SWPC Employee: G2 is likely. I don’t think we are going to get much higher.
Customer: Great! Thanks for the information.
When magnetic fields vary in the vicinity of a conductor such as a wire or pipelines, an electric current is induced into the conductor. This happens on a grand scale during geomagnetic storms. Power companies transmit alternating current to their customers via long transmission lines. The nearly direct currents induced in these lines from geomagnetic storms are harmful to electrical transmission equipment.
On March 13, 1989, in Montreal, Quebec, 6 million people were without commercial electric power for 9 hours as a result of a huge geomagnetic storm. Some areas in the northeastern U.S. and in Sweden also lost power.
The image is an Artist rendition of the 1989 blackout. Credit: NASA
Again, rapidly fluctuating geomagnetic fields can induce currents into pipelines which also act as conductors. During these times, several problems can arise for pipeline engineers. Flow meters in the pipeline can transmit erroneous flow information, and the corrosion rate of the pipeline is dramatically increased. If engineers unwittingly attempt to balance the current during a geomagnetic storm, corrosion rates may increase even more. Pipeline managers routinely receive alerts and warnings to help them provide an efficient and long-lived system.