Study on Modeling & Simulation Analysis of Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Coupling to Cables

The Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) analysis has become a serious concern in design to production cycle of the electronics in the last decade. EMP poses a severe threat to the communication lines, power grids, RF links etc. The EMP coupling analysis needs to be carried out to address the severity of the pulse coupled and to provide mitigation guidelines. A study on modeling of cables and cable penetration to shelter is carried out and simulated for coupling of EMP into it. Altair HyperWorks FEKO Simulation tool is used to analyze the currents generated at the cable ports & penetrations. The generated currents are compared for the coupling levels obtained for the cables.

I. Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)

Nuclear explosions in or above the earth’s atmosphere produce an intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP) by several physical phenomena viz. Gamma ray scattering, neutron inelastic scattering, Compton scattering, geomagnetic disturbances, etc. The electromagnetic pulse is termed as nuclear EMP or NEMP while a detonation caused at an altitude above 40 km creates a pulse known as high-altitude EMP (HEMP). The typical HEMP pulse includes three consecutive pulses known as E1 (early time), E2 (intermediate) and E3 (late time) and shown in below figure.