Tripod transformer tames solar storms

ABB has delivered a three-legged transformer designed to protect a Swedish nuclear power station from solar flares which can cause city-wide blackouts

The three-phase 825 MVA, 420/21 kV generator step-up transformer contains one of the largest and heaviest transformer cores that ABB has ever built.

Equipped with three limbs instead of the usual five, the transformer is designed to improve availability and protect the Oskarshamn 2 nuclear power plant in Sweden from solar flares or solar storms, more correctly called geomagnetic induced currents (GIC).

Solar flares unleash magnetic storms that hit the earth’s magnetic field and create geomagnetic currents that can enter power lines and the neutral point of transformers. GICs frequently lead to severely damaged transformers and voltage collapse at a cost of millions of euros per hour in lost revenues and damaged assets.

The most powerful GIC ever recorded at a power plant struck Oskarshamn in 2000, and in 2003 another GIC tripped several power lines and transformers all over the country and caused a blackout affecting 50,000 consumers.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox