Vulnerability of Smart Grid-based Protection Systems to Ultra-Wide Band IEMI Sources

The threat of IEMI to power infrastructures has been growing in concern by experts and authorities worldwide. This is due to the increased integration of smart electronic devices (SEDs), whose microprocessor systems may be vulnerable to high-power electromagnetic interference. One possible gateway for such attacks is the digital protection relays employed to protect power substations. The malfunctioning of these devices could lead to equipment damage (e.g., power transformers) and cascading of blackout events. This paper presents a vulnerability study of a protection system with three different cable topologies subjected to a high-power radiated interfering source. The results showed that variations in the wiring topology would affect the protection system's incidence rate of critical failures when exposed to Ultra Wide Band (UWB) pulses.