ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MAGNETIC FIELDS GENERATED BY A LARGE SUPERCONDUCTIVE MAGNETIC ENERGY STORAGE (SMES) SYSTEM.

Abstract

Consideration of the environmental impact of SMES systems includes possible biological effects on humans as well as on other vertebrates, plants and bacteria; effects on the operation of essential life support systems such as cardiac pacemakers; and effects on such equipment as watches, microprocessors, automobile and aircraft ignition systems and magnetic credit cards. Present knowledge of the biological effects of steady (DC) high and low intensity magnetic fields is reviewed, including synergetic effects of such fields in the presence of 60 Hz electric and magnetic fields; effects on cell growth, DNA synthesis, endocrine system rhythms, Ca** plus ** plus efflux, bacterial motion and bird migration are considered briefly. If the environment outside the fenced-in SMES area is to be accessible to persons with cardiac pacemakers the safe field level will have to be below 1. 7 mT. Selecting an arbitrary safety factor of 1. 7 giving a field of 1. 0 mT one obtains an exclusion radius of 2. 0 km for a presently considered 5500 MWh solenoidal storage system and 255 m for a proposed 20 MWh device.