Since I'm new here, I thought I'd start with a little background.. I'm an electrical engineer, although I'm not a very good one! LOL, and my hobbies are Astrophysics and Quantum Mechanics.. No, I am not a physicist, its just a hobby.
I've been reading threads in forums like this one about prepping to see if I can get some ideas and to make sure I haven't overlooked anything important in my own plans.
One of the things that concerns me is the mass amount of missinformation concerning EMP events. Its like a bad nightmare reading this stuff.
I've seen some information that is accurate, but most is lousy garbage.. seems like only about 1% of what is being said is realistic.
So with that in mind, here's the short version on EMP.
EMP Pulses are classified into three basic categories. E1, E2, and E3
E1 Pulse - This is a very high amplitude, very short and very high frequency pulse that will induce between 20,000 to a theoretical maximum of 50,000 volts per meter into any conductive antenna (surface). The pulse lasts a ridiculously short time of something like 50 nanoseconds and if I remember correctly, it can achieve its maximum amplitude in under 10 nanoseconds.
An E1 pulse is produced when a nuclear weapon is detonated near, but not in, Earth's atmosphere. It is created when gamma rays, traveling through space, collide with atmosphere and strip electrons away from the atoms that make up the atmosphere. The nuclear weapon must be detonated at the right altitude or its effectiveness is diminished. Too high far out into space and the inverse square law of wave propagation will diminish its strength, too close and its effective area is diminished due to line-of-sight.
Using a metal trash can to protect against an E1 pulse is like using a sheet of cardboard to protect yourself from gunfire. Not only is it going to be ineffective, but there's a chance it could make things worse. (if they could get worse).
Faraday cages designed to mitigate the effects of E1 pulses must be made of thick metal like 14 gauge, and be multi-layered with steel, aluminum, and sometimes even copper layers that are individually insulated from each other. Pretty much any hole larger than 1/8 of an inch, or any hatch or cover that is not electrically bonded to the rest of the cage, will render the entire thing useless.
E2 Pulse - This is lightening.. Most any metal cage is enough.. The bigger the holes in the cage, the better that conducting material should be.. A metal trashcan would be very effective.. Aluminum window screen, or even chicken wire made of copper would work fine.
E3 Pulse - This is what is created when the Sun farts in our direction.. its called a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) An E3 pulse will induce about 1 volt per meter of conductive material.. In other words, NO FARADAY CAGE NEEDED if you're on the ground.
But don't let that fool you, a CME that is big enough will still send us all back to the stone age.. That 1 volt per meter adds up fast when you consider the length of electrical transmission lines and what happens to that power when it goes through a transformer... Pretty much anything electronic that is plugged into the power grid will be instantly fried... Your microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, electric shaver, your furnace and air conditioner, all your light bulbs, and pretty much all the transformers on all the utility poles... Everything will be fried when a million electron volts flows through them for several minutes! Yes, E3 pulses are quite long.. so long, that it causes metal conductors to heat up and melt.. this is why transformers go poof!
But all your electronics that are NOT plugged into the grid will be fine! Your car will still work, your cell phone, laptop (if not charging), and everything else that is not connected in some way, will still work..
Of course, it should be said that none of it will work for very long if you can't figure out how to recharge them.. and there won't be any gasoline at the gas station for your car, or cell phone towers to connect to, bla bla bla.
Because E3 pulses are such long waves and induce such small voltages per meter, no Faraday cages are needed.. That is of course, unless you're on the space station...
A note on Nuclear EMP... Nuclear detonations designed to radiate EMP pulses have a radius of around 1200 to 1400 miles.. If you are lucky enough to be on the last 100 (or so) mile edge of that radius, and your electronics are in a trashcan, you might have a chance for them to survive.. But again, its a slim chance.
I've been reading threads in forums like this one about prepping to see if I can get some ideas and to make sure I haven't overlooked anything important in my own plans.
One of the things that concerns me is the mass amount of missinformation concerning EMP events. Its like a bad nightmare reading this stuff.
I've seen some information that is accurate, but most is lousy garbage.. seems like only about 1% of what is being said is realistic.
So with that in mind, here's the short version on EMP.
EMP Pulses are classified into three basic categories. E1, E2, and E3
E1 Pulse - This is a very high amplitude, very short and very high frequency pulse that will induce between 20,000 to a theoretical maximum of 50,000 volts per meter into any conductive antenna (surface). The pulse lasts a ridiculously short time of something like 50 nanoseconds and if I remember correctly, it can achieve its maximum amplitude in under 10 nanoseconds.
An E1 pulse is produced when a nuclear weapon is detonated near, but not in, Earth's atmosphere. It is created when gamma rays, traveling through space, collide with atmosphere and strip electrons away from the atoms that make up the atmosphere. The nuclear weapon must be detonated at the right altitude or its effectiveness is diminished. Too high far out into space and the inverse square law of wave propagation will diminish its strength, too close and its effective area is diminished due to line-of-sight.
Using a metal trash can to protect against an E1 pulse is like using a sheet of cardboard to protect yourself from gunfire. Not only is it going to be ineffective, but there's a chance it could make things worse. (if they could get worse).
Faraday cages designed to mitigate the effects of E1 pulses must be made of thick metal like 14 gauge, and be multi-layered with steel, aluminum, and sometimes even copper layers that are individually insulated from each other. Pretty much any hole larger than 1/8 of an inch, or any hatch or cover that is not electrically bonded to the rest of the cage, will render the entire thing useless.
E2 Pulse - This is lightening.. Most any metal cage is enough.. The bigger the holes in the cage, the better that conducting material should be.. A metal trashcan would be very effective.. Aluminum window screen, or even chicken wire made of copper would work fine.
E3 Pulse - This is what is created when the Sun farts in our direction.. its called a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) An E3 pulse will induce about 1 volt per meter of conductive material.. In other words, NO FARADAY CAGE NEEDED if you're on the ground.
But don't let that fool you, a CME that is big enough will still send us all back to the stone age.. That 1 volt per meter adds up fast when you consider the length of electrical transmission lines and what happens to that power when it goes through a transformer... Pretty much anything electronic that is plugged into the power grid will be instantly fried... Your microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, electric shaver, your furnace and air conditioner, all your light bulbs, and pretty much all the transformers on all the utility poles... Everything will be fried when a million electron volts flows through them for several minutes! Yes, E3 pulses are quite long.. so long, that it causes metal conductors to heat up and melt.. this is why transformers go poof!
But all your electronics that are NOT plugged into the grid will be fine! Your car will still work, your cell phone, laptop (if not charging), and everything else that is not connected in some way, will still work..
Of course, it should be said that none of it will work for very long if you can't figure out how to recharge them.. and there won't be any gasoline at the gas station for your car, or cell phone towers to connect to, bla bla bla.
Because E3 pulses are such long waves and induce such small voltages per meter, no Faraday cages are needed.. That is of course, unless you're on the space station...
A note on Nuclear EMP... Nuclear detonations designed to radiate EMP pulses have a radius of around 1200 to 1400 miles.. If you are lucky enough to be on the last 100 (or so) mile edge of that radius, and your electronics are in a trashcan, you might have a chance for them to survive.. But again, its a slim chance.
INFOGRAPHIC: Artist's depiction of solar wind colliding with Earth's magnetosphere (NASA)
INFOGRAPHIC: An excerpt from a NASA infographic shows how space weather can affect technological infrastructure. (NASA)
