Did high-altitude EMP (electromagnetic pulse) cause the Hawaiian streetlight incident
Studies of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects on civilian and military systems predict results ranging from severe destruction to no damage. Convincing analyses that support either extreme are rare. The Hawaiian streetlight incident associated with Starfish nuclear burst is the most widely quoted observed damage. We review the streelight characteristics and estimate the coupling between the Starfish EMP and a particular streelight circuit identified as one of the few that failed. Evidence indicates that the damage was EMP-generated. The main contributing factors were the azimuthal angle of the circuit relative to the direction of EMP propagation, and the rapid rise of the EMP signal. The azimuthal angle provided coherent buildup of voltage as the EMP swept across the transmission line. The rapid rise allowed substantial excitation before the canceling effects of ground reflections limited the signals. Resulting voltage were beyond the threshold for causing the observed fuse damage and are consistent with this damage occurring in only some do the strings in the systems. 15 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 6907033
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-88-0043C; CONF-880852-1; ON: DE88008795
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: US-Japan seminar on electromagnetic interference in highly advanced social systems, Honolulu, HI, USA, 1 Aug 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
DAMAGE
STARFISH EVENT
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
EQUATIONS
HAWAII
LIGHTING SYSTEMS
NUMERICAL DATA
PHOTODIODES
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS
DATA
DOMINIC PROJECT
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EXPLOSIONS
FEDERAL REGION IX
INFORMATION
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PULSES
RADIATIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
USA
450202* - Explosions & Explosives- Nuclear- Weaponry- (-1989)
420800 - Engineering- Electronic Circuits & Devices- (-1989)