IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2015 - 45

New transformer designs
have been modeled and
analyzed to confirm their
effectiveness in handling
the specified GIC signature.

impacts of GMD/GIC on the DVP system but also to develop solutions for equipment hardening and system operations. Internally, the project team and management strive
to apply research outcomes to the company's operating
standards and regulations. Externally, DVP actively shares
its academic findings and best practices with the power
industry at national and international forums and councils, and it continues an interactive partnership with
research institutes, manufacturers, and industry peers.
Major focuses of the current and next phases of the
DVP's GMD mitigation plan include the following:
xx
Continuous analysis of the impact of GIC on DVP's
transmission system-the search continues for optimal methods in GMD mitigation considering dynamically changing load conditions, equipment on-/offline
status, line topology variations, and the deployment of
series capacitor banks in the grid.
xx
Leveraging collaboration with NOAA and NASA on space
weather analytics and geological survey programs-in
return, DVP benefits from their GMD research with the
improvement of geological and geomagnetic modeling.
xx
Field tests of new EHV-rated transformers.
xx
System harmonics studies during GMD events.
xxImprovements in situational awareness.

For Further reading
P. R. Barnes, D. T. Rizy, and B. W. McConnell, "Electric utility industry experience with geomagnetic disturbances," Tech. Rep.
ORNL6665, Oak Ridge National Laboratory & F. M. Tesche, 1991.

A. A. Pulkkinen, E. Bernabeu, J. Eichner, C. Beggan,
and A. W. P. Thompson, "Generation of 100-year geomagnetically induced current scenarios ," Space Weather ,
vol. 10, no. 4, p. S04003, 2012.
E. Bernabeu, "Modeling geomagnetically induced currents
in Dominion Virginia Power using extreme 100-year geoelectric field scenarios-Part 1," IEEE Trans. Power Deliv., vol. 28,
no. 1, pp. 516-523, 2013.
R. Pirjola, "On currents induced in power transmission
systems during geomagnetic variations," IEEE Trans. Power
Appl. Syst., vol. PAS-104, no. 10, pp. 2825-2831, 1985.
M. Lahtinen and J. Elovaara, "GIC occurrences and GIC
test for 400 kV system transformer," IEEE Trans. Power Deliv.,
vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 555-561, 2002.

biographies
Rui Sun (rui.sun@dom.com) is a staff engineer with
Dominion Virginia Power (DVP) Electric Transmission
Operations Research Projects Group and currently leads
the geomagnetic disturbance research project in DVP.
Mark McVey (mark.mcvey@dom.com) is a principal
engineer with the Dominion Virginia Power Electric Transmission Operations Engineering Group.
Mike Lamb (mike.lamb@dom.com) is a manager of
Dominion Virginia Power Electric Transmission Operations
Engineering Group.
R. Matthew Gardner (matthew.gardner@dom.com) is a
manager of Dominion Virginia Power Electric Transmission Operations Research Projects Group.

IEEE Elec trific ation Magazine / d ec em be r 2 0 1 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2015