Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
(OP)
Hello all,
Just wondering if anyone had heard anything regarding the cause of the complete power failure at the Atlanta Airport, (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport). It is astounding to me that such a complete failure could occur. I have designed power and backup power systems for major airport facilities. With the redundant utility incoming connections, redundant isolated feeders, emergency power systems which feed both ends of a service-tie-service medium Voltage service and isolated feeder routing, it is impossible for me to understand how a fire "in an underground structure..." could cause such a complete interruption. The incoming utility lines and the on-site power generation should not share any facilities with the exception of transfer switches. LADWP,(Utility) and LAWA, (Airport Authority), here in Los Angeles would have our collective hides if we designed something with such a catastrophic single point of failure.
I was just curious if anyone had any real information. I doubt those reporting have any idea of what really occurred. Thank you in advance for your time.
EEJaime
Los Angeles, CA
Just wondering if anyone had heard anything regarding the cause of the complete power failure at the Atlanta Airport, (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport). It is astounding to me that such a complete failure could occur. I have designed power and backup power systems for major airport facilities. With the redundant utility incoming connections, redundant isolated feeders, emergency power systems which feed both ends of a service-tie-service medium Voltage service and isolated feeder routing, it is impossible for me to understand how a fire "in an underground structure..." could cause such a complete interruption. The incoming utility lines and the on-site power generation should not share any facilities with the exception of transfer switches. LADWP,(Utility) and LAWA, (Airport Authority), here in Los Angeles would have our collective hides if we designed something with such a catastrophic single point of failure.
I was just curious if anyone had any real information. I doubt those reporting have any idea of what really occurred. Thank you in advance for your time.
EEJaime
Los Angeles, CA






RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Sounds like switchgear for both primary and backup were in the same installation.
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
It's unlikely we'll ever get the full story, to be honest.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Posted at another EE site:
http://www.ajc.com/business/georgia-power-suspects...
http://www.ajc.com/news/live-updates-power-restore...
BTW- from various videos of the incident it looks like not only the main power supplies failed- but also the life safety branch. There are no emergency lights anywhere. Something is very wrong with the picture.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
I agree 100% on the utility side of things. For some POCOs a backup is simply another circuit in the same conduit or pole- and I do not blame them all that much to be honest as for them its very common to feed entire towns or even small cities via double circuit single tower transmission lines, and more often then not it does the job really well. But what I do not understand is how a failed transfer switch in a utility vault would remove ememrgency power at the airport- I would think the ATS would be customer owned completlety separate from the POCO.
Sadly, that is my feeling as well.
A lot can be learned and exchanged from this discussion. Some engineers deal soley with reliability and redundancy as a living. I myself have extensively designed and drawn up re-closer loop schemes (including the cost vs benenfits), service continuity is an entire science all onto itself.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Common mode failures there are very, very unlikely.
CR
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17, NIV]
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Sadly, the electrical design of major "people" facilities such as airports, arenas, museums, etc, is generally an afterthought, both in terms of design criteria and budgeting. It's common for the owner to be happy to turn over the design and provision of the main incoming power system to the local utility. After all they are the "experts". Also, many of the local consultants who get hired for this type of work have little or no experience with systems above 600 V.
Because electrical systems are generally much more reliable than any other part of the facility, the equipment is often neglected and seldom thought about.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Nope, no emergency lights, door lock, bathroom lights, bathroom paper towel dispensers, toilets ...
Fire protection and alarms still up during the power outage? Nobody is saying.
Announcement system? Was Dead.
Yes, there is a thread in the Disaster's section.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
if they felt they had two independent utility sources, maybe not. Also, one account I read mentioned that the "switch" that should have transferred to an alternate source was in the same electrical room as the switchgear and was also damaged in the fire.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
@dpc: Even then their should be Bodines or bug eyes- which I saw none running- unless the vids were shot after the 90 minutes of (sometimes wishful) run time. As for the generator ATS, I highly doubt it would in a utility vault if that is what is being said.
Not trying to discredit you- just intensely curious about how things got the way they did. And a bit angry (not at you) that such a critical facility is so fragile.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
The most surprising thing to me was the reported lack of first responders and airport staff. Saw a photo of TSA agents taking people in wheelchairs up a stairway. To me, the most striking aspect of the Atlanta airport has always been the huge number of airport personnel standing around doing nothing.
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport
Hence, KWHr charges for the energy and
Demand charges to cover the cost of delivery.
Many utilities will charge a demand tariff for a back-up line.
If the utility is charging the same the same amount for a backup line they may be overcharging as the cost of installing a second circuit is much less than the cost of a second line in a second location.
However, that said, it may be that the customer was faced with paying the construction costs up front and made the MBA choice.
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
RE: Power Failure at Atlanta Airport