"Modeling Recovery of the Florida Electric Transmission Grid After Seve" by Wei B. Guan

Author

Wei B. Guan

Date of Award

3-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering Management

Department

Department of Systems Engineering and Management

First Advisor

Daniel J. Weeks, PhD

Abstract

Predicted changes to the climate are expected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The Florida electric grid is a critical infrastructure system susceptible to severe weather events, especially hurricanes, causing widespread damage and outages. A foundational concept of the electric grid’s resilience is its ability to recover after extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and flooding. The recovery of the electrical grid after an extreme event is predicated upon the electrical asset's remoteness and the component's level of damage. Using fragility analysis, previous models have assessed the mean time to recover for transmission towers and substations and their failure rates under various storm scenarios. The present study utilizes a stochastic method and component-level data to assess the remoteness and recoverability of 17,026 electrical transmission towers and 176 substations in a nine-county region of the Florida Panhandle. The results of this study identify the expected outages and recovery time from multiple simulated hurricane events using fragility analysis. The study assesses recovery via the number of customers experiencing a decrease in the level of service under various damage scenarios. The outcome of this study will help inform disaster management planning and resilient infrastructure investment.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENV-MS-24-M-123

Comments

A 12-month embargo was observed for posting this work on AFIT Scholar.

Distribution Statement A, Approved for Public Release. PA case number on file.

Share

COinS