Occupational exposure to magnetic fields while working around a reactor at a 400 kV substation in Finland

Summary

The paper presents the investigation of occupational exposure to magnetic fields at a 400 kV substation while working around a reactor. We studied three tasks: (A) working near the fence of a reactor; (B) maintaining an operating device of a disconnector of a reactor from a service platform, and (C) walking near reactor cables. We performed 12 magnetic field measurements and 10 measurements of exposure ratios (magnetic field) adhering to ICNIRP occupational guidelines. At Task A, the average magnetic field was 195.5 µT, and the maximum magnetic field was 260.0 µT. At Task B, the magnetic field was 97.0 µT, and at Task C, the average magnetic field was 559.8 µT, with a maximum magnetic field of 710.0 µT. The highest magnetic field (710 µT at task C) was 71% of the of the low action level (1,000 µT) of Directive 2013/35/EU. In Task A, the maximum value was 26% of the low action level, and in Task B, it was 9.7 %. The highest exposure ratio (magnetic field) of the ICNIRP occupational guidelines was 150.0% in Task C. Based on the measurements, it is possible to conclude that in working around a reactor at 400kV substations in Finland, the typical magnetic field exposure is below the low action levels of Directive 2013/35/EU.

Additional informations

Authors

Yoshimura Manabu, Umemoto Takahiro, Muto Hirotaka