Why You Should Care About Transient Analysis

Why You Should Care About Transient Analysis – Even if You’re Not an Engineer

by Ohm Engineering Works | Jul 26, 2025 | Electric Company

Ever wondered what happens to the power system during a lightning strike?

Or why transformers hum after a switching event?

Or how a single fault can cause a full blackout?

👉 That’s where Transient Analysis comes in.

It’s the science of understanding what happens in your electrical system during disturbances — not after minutes, but in microseconds.

⚡ 2 Types of Transients – And What They Reveal

I. RMS-Based Transient Analysis

Deals with events lasting milliseconds to seconds.

It’s like watching a slow-motion replay of a disturbance — ideal for studying how big systems behave.

Angular Stability

🌀 Can your generators stay synchronized after a fault?

If they fall out of sync, the grid collapses.

Grid Islanding

🌍 What happens when your plant is cut off from the main grid?

Will it operate independently or fail?

Load Shedding

⚠️ How can we prevent grid collapse by sacrificing just a few loads?

LVRT – Low Voltage Ride Through

☀️🌬️ Will your solar or wind system survive voltage dips — or disconnect too early?

II. EMT-Based Transient Analysis

⚡ Captures lightning-fast, high-frequency waveforms.

If RMS is the slow-motion camera, EMT is the ultra-high-speed camera that sees what most tools miss.

SFO (Slow Front Overvoltage)

🛠️ Caused by switching. Can stress insulation in cables and motors.

FFO (Fast Front Overvoltage)

⚡ Caused by lightning. Sharp spikes. Dangerous to transformers & lines.

VFFO (Very Fast Front Overvoltage)

🧪 Found in GIS systems. Spikes so quick, they can destroy insulation before a breaker reacts.

Ferroresonance

🔄 A mysterious overvoltage that often fools even experienced engineers.

TRV (Transient Recovery Voltage)

⚔️ Happens after a breaker clears a fault. If the breaker isn’t strong enough, the arc re-strikes.

🔍 Why It Matters

It’s not just for research papers or PhD engineers.

If you’re an EPC contractor, O&M engineer, or plant manager, understanding transients helps you: 

✅ Choose the right equipment

✅ Prevent unexpected failures

✅ Improve system stability

✅ Save on repair and insurance costs

🚨 Coming Up Next…

In the next edition, we’ll show real-world case studies of how transient analysis saved critical infrastructure from catastrophic failure — and how you can apply it to your projects.