Decoupled, Decentralized, LQR-Based Controls for E3 HEMP/GMD Mitigation on the Power Grid

High altitude electromagnetic pulses (HEMPs) and solar-geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) both have the potential to impact the reliable operation of the electric power grid. GMDs, and the low-frequency portion of HEMP insults, introduce currents into the grid that can result in the magnetic cores of large power transformers becoming saturated. This paper presents a novel approach to HEMP/GMD mitigation, wherein actively controlled voltage sources are utilized to nullify a low frequency EMP insult. This method is evaluated on several power system case studies, including a single transformer system, a 20-bus system, and a 150-bus system. Results show that the active mitigation is able to successfully prevent transformer saturation in all cases.