EMP and storage batteries

I have looked and looked with no results, so here goes.

What effects will be manifested upon a common (auto) storage battery by an EMP (natural or man made)? Understanding that a stronger, closer, more direct hit would by its nature have a greater effect. With the fluid electrolyte and the extremely short duration of an EMP pulse (I just repeated myself with that), what short term and long term effects could be expected?

Thanks for your thoughts and views.

Oldpapps

It is my understanding that an EMP will NOT affect a battery.

It will affect a transistor, resistor, a circuit board and a micro-ciruit but batteries do not contain those things.

If the battery is not in use, I don't think there would be any effect. If in use, a current overload could build up, shorting or blowing the battery.

Any wires from the battery to what it is powering would become in effect an antenna for collecting the electrons, sending them back to the battery. This is why the grid will kill anything attached to it during EMP. In efffect, it is the collector of the energy and sends this though out the grid....frying anything hooked to it in the process.

Thinking out loud, so to speak...

If I keep one of the battery posts disconnected on my Ford 8N, there would be no circuit to/from the 6 volt battery... It would be safe. With nothing fryable on that old 1948 vintage beast, it should be OK. If I routinely start it with a 12 volt battery, the starter can't be zapped. It has a real generator, not an alternator, so that's good. Maybe the head lights, but they haven't worked in years.... Now if I can keep from flooding it every time I start it....


Thanks guys and gals.

Oldpapps

There should be NOTHING on a Ford 8N that could fry during an EMP event. No need to disconnect the battery post. Ditto some of the older cars that don't have fancy electronics. My old Jeepster is a perfect EMP car, no electronic ignition, no circuit boards, just a battery an old fashioned distributor, some thick wires, etc . . . it, like your 8N is "EMP proof."

What Kirk wrote about the wires may also be correct on a large scale but within the context of a small vehicle like your tractor or my old Jeepster there is literally nothing to worry about because the wiring is so minimal as to be non-existent in terms of a collector.

Melensdad, Thanks for the conformation of what I was thinking/hoping.

Oldpapps

oldpapps said:

Melensdad, Thanks for the conformation of what I was thinking/hoping.

Oldpapps

Click to expand...

Just to expand this topic, I've been looking recently at SOLAR PhotoVoltaic panels and found out that even those are EMP proof. The controllers and inverters may fry out in an EMP event but the panels are good. The lesson I took away from my research is that an EMP may fry the tiny circuits of modern day appliances, modern vehicles, etc. But the basic components of most electric items, even many modern components, are pretty safe from EMP events.

So a new Audi A7 with all its technological wonders won't be on the road if a strong enough EMP event occurs. The fancy LED "vampire" lights and the Infra-Red long distance heads-up night vision display will be useless, the electronic ignition and the computer controlled engine and brake system all just junk. . . but an old Chevy Vega hatchback should be good to go and running just fine. In your kitchen if you have an old pop-up toaster that will be good to go, but if your wife has one of those expensive circuit board controlled fine-tuned electronic toasters then its just regular bread for you . . . no toast.

Melensdad,

These solar panels you spoke of, are they a specific brand/type or the general design?

I'm in the process of doing research with the end desire of providing a self-contained energy source (solar panels) to provide power for a water system/well pump. My thoughts are to put everything at the well in an insulated block structure that is lined with copper screen (Faraday cage). Storage batteries inside and pump motors would be safe. Water lines out are plastic, so no collector doing any feed back there. The problem is power in...
I guess if all else comes to nil, I can have a 'post burst' converter unit boxed up inside the cage.

The cost factor in keeping redundant items becomes difficult. My favored electronic sighting system is both expensive and some what hard to come by. I would hate to have to go back to iron sights on my weapons.

Thanks,

Oldpapps

I didn't look at the specific differences between individual brands of PV panels.

Melensdad said:

So a new Audi A7 with all its technological wonders won't be on the road if a strong enough EMP event occurs. The fancy LED "vampire" lights and the Infra-Red long distance heads-up night vision display will be useless, the electronic ignition and the computer controlled engine and brake system all just junk. . .

Click to expand...

You can always build a Faraday Cage to store your Audi in. Properly built it will protect your car.

Buy a lot tin foil to wrap it in! My old Detroit in the dump truck might become the neighborhood bus!

In all actuality, what TiredRetired and muleman have jested about is practical.

The only draw back is the vehicle or anything to be protected, has to be inside during an EMP. Needless to say, an air burst just over head would negate the building.

For full coverage, I would put copper screen on the ground before covering it with gravel or concrete. Add a metal building with metal closing doors. Connect all of the metal pieces together (electrically) and ground it.

What ever is inside with the doors closed is setting on gravel or concrete and is insulated. Just don't push up to an outer wall.

For internal lighting, I would wrap copper screen over two liter plastic bottles set in the roof (if filled with a clear liquid, a great deal of light is transferred inside. if using water, the light will only be lessened when frozen in the winter).

I would take extreme care to make certain that all openings, cracks and vent areas were covered with screen. You now have a large Faraday cage.

Oldpapps