Did high-altitude EMP (electromagnetic pulse) cause the Hawaiian streetlight incident
Conference
·
OSTI ID:6907033
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
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
420800 -- Engineering-- Electronic Circuits & Devices-- (-1989)
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202* -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS
DAMAGE
DATA
DOMINIC PROJECT
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUATIONS
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FEDERAL REGION IX
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NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
PHOTODIODES
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RADIATIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
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420800 -- Engineering-- Electronic Circuits & Devices-- (-1989)
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450202* -- Explosions & Explosives-- Nuclear-- Weaponry-- (-1989)
ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS
DAMAGE
DATA
DOMINIC PROJECT
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUATIONS
EXPLOSIONS
FEDERAL REGION IX
HAWAII
INFORMATION
LIGHTING SYSTEMS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
PHOTODIODES
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
PULSES
RADIATIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
STARFISH EVENT
USA