By a power failure one understands the loss of the supply of electricity.

The transfer of energy effected with electric current, which must be produced and transported in the same moment, in which it is used. Therefore the reason of a power failure is always the interruption of the electric circuit.

• If a power failure concerns only individual equipment, a defect of the equipment is to be accepted.
• If the river precipitates in one or more rooms, or a group of equipment, releasing of the safety device or the earth-leakage circuit breaker (fish age) is probable.
• If a whole house of a power failure is concerned, also the main safety device or a damage could be the inlet the cause.
• Are separate if individual road courses, settlements or - in the rural area - limited areas from electricity mains, generally the overhead line is interrupted or a tower or a Transformatorenstation failed.
• To net-far power failures it comes, if the regulation of electricity mains does not react not or fast to enough to disturbances or changes in electricity mains.

Larger defects in electricity mains, like a disturbance in a power station, the damage of a Stromleitung, a short-circuit or an overloading of electricity mains are not with a functioning regulation of electricity mains a reason for a net-far power failure. Electricity mains are strongly meshed developed above the local level. When disturbances either peak load power stations are raised or the river over other routings is steered. Since electricity mains of most countries of Europe form a data link, also achievement can be requested by neighbouring nets, if within the own net a problem exists.

• If the current supply in a net broke down completely, and even the power stations no more river from the net (to starting) to refer can, then one speaks also of a black case.

Scenario of a large power failure

As causes for a power failure of a whole area of power supply firms are usually indicated: A defect in a power station, the damage of a Stromleitung, a short-circuit or a local overloading these causes would be however with a functioning regulation generally no reason for a power failure.

Effects in the disturbed net

A problem exists then, if with a larger loss fast enough indemnification cannot be near-created, is it due to communication problems, is it due to not sufficiently mobilizable peak load power stations, is it due to insufficiently switched spare circuits. If sufficient energy cannot be activated (e.g. in case of failure the load frequency control) for the momentary need in the own net, both the mains voltage and the frequency sink; because in the remaining power stations then the taken achievement is higher than the produced, which leads to the fact that the generators and turbines are braked: The difference between taken energy and produced energy is then partly covered from the Rotationsenergie of the generators and turbines. This in the neighbouring nets is registered immediately - then high balancing currents flow - and these will try to stabilize by intensified current feed the net.

Thereby even if the problem cannot be solved (e.g. because sufficient feeder lines were not de-energised), the current consumption can be reduced by a purposeful load decrease: With consumers such as aluminum works, steel plants etc., which explained themselves ready for this (and therefore a more favorable electricity tariff to pay), then the connected load reduced.

Only if this nothing helps, it would come to regional current disconnections, in order to keep at least in the remainder of the net a supply upright.

To a blackout of the net it comes, if the load frequency control does not react, or too slowly-acting and neighbour TZE cannot support the own net (because e.g. too few feeder lines are switched). Then it can come to stronger dropping of the frequency. This would lead too much at the junction points to functioning nets high balance stream, so that the safety devices released here. If the supporting of the net precipitates by neighbour TZE, the frequency continues to sink. Then still if no purposeful load decrease is possible, the frequency sinks under a critical border and the net switches itself off automatically.

Effects in neighbour nets

Breaking down a net would bring however also the surrounding nets in difficulties. Then suddenly a large power consumer is missing, so that without further measures the frequency would rise too strongly. It is then tried to throttle current production like the fast driving off peak load power stations down. Additionally measures are seized to increase the current consumption like a starting of the pumps in pumped storage power stations, switching on on of power consumers by round control instruction (achievement increase with industriellen consumers, heating night storage heaters), intensified delivery in neighbour TZE.

Does not succeed compensating the abolishment of the disturbed net the frequency rises too strongly in the neighbour net. This would have the consequence that the net would then switch itself off first because of to large differences in the frequency from the neighbour nets to separate and the net with to high frequency.

If a neighbour net referred substantial quantities river from the disturbed net, the load frequency control must naturally react here to the abolishment of the current feed (see above).

Consequences

Critical power failures particularly are for hospitals, since for the enterprise of medical instruments need this river. In addition, safety-relevant systems (like radar device of the air traffic control, traffic lights or signaling devices of the railway) or other servicers (like water companies, gas works or telecommunications enterprises) need river for working. For this reason for example hospitals and other critical mechanisms have just like many enterprises emergency power generators, which are operated frequently with Diesel generators and to connect automatically, as soon as a power failure occurs. Additionally many mechanisms have several mains connections to (to a large extent) independent nets.

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