Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories have invented a tiny, electronic device that can divert excess electricity within a few billionths of a second while operating at a record-breaking 6,400 volts, an important milestone towards protecting the country’s power grid from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The researchers’ ultimate goal is to provide protection from voltage surges, which could take parts of the grid offline for months, with a device that operates at up to 20,000 volts. As WaterISAC has previously discussed, EMPs can result from both natural and man-made events, such as the detonation of a nuclear device. Depending on their severity, they can destroy electric wiring and circuity and have a devastating impact on critical infrastructure.

An EMP causes massive voltages in a few billionths of a second, and current tools designed to protect the grid from surges are not fast enough. The new Sandia device is a diode that can react very quickly to surge events. Diodes are electronic components, used in virtually all electronic devices, that operate as one-way regulator valves. “The diode cannot block an infinite voltage,” said Bob Kaplar, manager of a semiconductor device research group at Sandia. “However, our EMP device uses the point at which the diode can no longer block the high voltage, holds the voltage to that ‘pressure,’ shunting the excess current through itself, to the ground and away from the grid equipment in a controlled, non-destructive fashion.” The Sandia diode is made from gallium nitride, special material that can withstand very high voltages. Additionally, this device has other applications beyond protecting the grid from an EMP. It can be used in smart transformers, solar panel power conversion, and electric car charging infrastructure, among other uses. Read more at R&D World.