Resilience of Civil Infrastructures under Extreme Events
Resilience Assessment of Electric Power Network under Aging and Hurricanes
The objective of this project is to advance the scientific knowledge underlying the design and assessment of transmission line systems, with the goal of increasing the resiliency of electric power networks (EPNs) under windstorm and aging effects. The need for improving EPN resiliency is underscored by the surge in the extent and number of power outages due to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and blizzards. The failure of aging EPN-supporting infrastructures, particularly during these weather events, can lead to widespread service disruptions, delays in emergency response, and significant economic losses. This ongoing research investigates the key attributes contributing to the resiliency of a transmission system within an EPN and develops a robust, risk-informed design methodology. This is achieved through a systematic incorporation of the physical performance assessment of individual transmission line components into a network-level functionality analysis. The research outcomes are expected to foster a paradigm shift for the design of EPNs, which are recognized as one of the most critical spatially distributed infrastructure systems.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER: Resiliency of Electric Power Networks under Wind Loads and Aging Effects through Risk-Informed Design and Assessment Strategies
Sponsor: Iowa Energy Center (IEC) Resilience Enhancement of Electric Power Systems and Associated Infrastructures (Completed)
Resilience Assessment Tool for the Iowa Transportation Network under Flooding Events
This project aims to define and validate appropriate procedures that will form the cornerstone of resilience assessment and enhancement strategies customized for highway transportation networks. For this purpose, a systematic effort is ongoing to answer the following questions: (i) How vulnerable are the network components to disruption? (ii) What are the potential consequences of a disruption scenario? (iii) What is the likelihood of occurrence of a specific disruption scenario? (iv) What types of methodologies are suitable for the evaluation of the potential vulnerability of the system? (v) How will different disruption scenarios impact the socio-economic aspects of the community? (vi) What measures are available to the engineers and planners to estimate the resilience of the system? and (vii) How can decision makers craft strategies to enhance the resilience with the confidence that those strategies will hold during everyday operation or when a disaster strikes? The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop a system-level resilience framework that can be used as a tool by the state’s authorities and engineers for prioritizing the investments, while ensuring that the transportation system is capable of absorbing shocks, adapting to changing conditions, and rapidly recovering from disruptions.
