Electric Power Supply Options for FIRE

The FIRE experiment1 will present a net electric power demand approaching 1000MW for 10's of seconds, repeated once every 2 hours, delivered to the load via thyristor AC/DC converters which exhibit a widely varying power factor. The issues associated with the supply of such a load from the utility grid can be divided into two categories: Technical ▪ transmission line power flow vs. capacity▪ voltage deviation within the grid vs. limits▪ frequency deviation within the grid vs. limits▪ loading of electrical equipment (e.g. generators)▪ control of power generation (e.g. steam turbines) Operational ▪ control and monitoring of grid power flow▪ coordination of protection systems▪ repetitive cycling of power system equipment▪ allowance for contingency on tie line power flows▪ power flow reversal▪ harmonic content of load▪ power and energy monitoring, billing rate structure