Using data from the frequency disturbance recorders (FDRs) that comprise the nation-wide frequency monitoring network known as FNET, disturbances in the eastern interconnected system (EI) have been monitored and recorded over the past several years. Analysis of this and other data by a wide variety of research scientists and engineers has rendered the idea that frequency disturbances from generator trips, transmission line trips, load trips, and other events, travel with finite speed as electromechanical waves throughout any power system (in this case the EI). Using FNET data as a tool, it is possible to measure and output the arrival times of these disturbance waves with a time resolution of 100 ms. To observe with certainty the arrival time of the frequency disturbance waves, field data collected by the FDRs must first be conditioned in a robust manner. The current method that uses the moving mean of raw FDR data is analyzed and two computationally efficient robust methods are suggested in this report. These new methods that rely on robust statistics are more resistant to the effect of outliers contained within the raw FDR data. Furthermore, like the moving mean, these methods smooth the raw data without removing the general trend. Having recorded and conditioned the FDR data, three conventional triangulation techniques taken from the field of seismology are proposed and analyzed. This study reconfirms the fact that the EI is not a medium of continuous elasticity though which the frequency perturbations travel but rather a discontinuous patchwork of varying elasticities. Within this report, nine generator trip events are analyzed and the aforementioned triangulation methods are applied. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed. To conclude, axioms of future research are proposed and delineated. / Master of Science

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-13T17:08:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HelenoCLN.pdf: 2214181 bytes, checksum: 4b9d5dbc7db9006737b75bcf1a77385e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-06 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / In this dissertation we studied the seismic activity in the S?o Caetano county, Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil, located near the Pernambuco Lineament. The Pernambuco Lineament is a one of Neoproterozoic continental-scale shear zones that deforms the Borborema province. The seismicity estudied occurred in a NE trending branch of Pernambuco Lineament. The seismic activity in S?o Caetano started in 2006 and in May 20th, 2006 a 4,0 mb earthquake hit there. This was the largest earthquake ever reported in Pernambuco State. This dissertation is the result of a campaign done in the period from Februay 1th 2007 to July 31 th 2007. In this campaign up to nine three-component digital seismographic stations were deployed and the collected data was used to determine hypocenters and focal mechanism. A total of 214 earthquakes, recorded at least by three stations, were analyzed. To determine hypocenters and time origin the HYPO71 program was used assuming a half-space model with parameters : VP (P-wave velocity) equal to 5.90 km/s and the ratio VP/VS 1.70, where VS is the S-wave velocity. The earthquakes hypocentral distribution was approximately 4 km long and agrees with the NE-SW direction of the Pernambuco Lineamento branch. Hypocentres depth range from 2 to 8 km. The composed focal mechanism was made from a group of 14 selected earthquakes. We try firstly to find the fault plane solution matching the polarity distribution at stations, using the FPFIT program. The result was 43 deg ? 15 deg for strike, 59 deg ? 9 deg for dip and -142 deg ? 15 deg for rake. We also fitted a plane using the hypocentral distribution to obtain the dip and azimuth of the hypocentral distribution. The results obtained by this fit were 58 deg for the azimuth, 55 deg for the dip and -155 deg for rake. This result shows a mechanism of a strike-slip dextral fault with a normal component. This dissertation shows, once more, that there is a good correlation between the seismic activity and geological features in the region near the Pernambuco Lineament and its NE branches / Nesta disserta??o foi estudada a atividade s?smica no munic?pio de S?o Caetano, estado de Pernambuco, Nordeste brasileiro, localizado pr?ximo ao Lineamento Pernambuco. O Lineamento Pernambuco ? uma zona de cisalhamento Neoproteroz?ica de escala continental que deforma a prov?ncia Borborema. A sismicidade estudada ocorreu numa ramifica??o para nordeste do Lineamento Pernambuco. A atividade s?smica em S?o Caetano iniciou em 2006 e no dia 20/05/2007 ocorreu, neste munic?pio, um sismo de magnitude 4,0 mb. Este ? o sismo de maior magnitude que ocorreu no estado de Pernambuco. Este trabalho ? decorrente da an?lise de dados coletados durante o per?odo de monitoramento na regi?o que foi de 01/02/2007 at? 21/07/2007. Nesse monitoramento foi utilizado de seis at? nove esta??es sismogr?ficas digitais. Os dados coletados por essas esta??es foram analisados, objetivando a determina??o dos hipocentros e do mecanismo focal composto. Foram utilizados 214 sismos, registrados em pelo menos tr?s esta??es. Na determina??o hipocentral, foi utilizado o programa HYPO71, assumindo-se um modelo de semi-espa?o, com os par?metros: velocidade da onda P (VP) e raz?o VP/VS, respectivamente, 5,90 km/s e 1,70. Os hipocentros dos sismos ocorridos na regi?o deste estudo acompanham uma ramifica??o para nordeste do Lineamento Pernambuco e possui aproximadamente 4km de extens?o e profundidade variando entre 2 at? 8 km. O mecanismo focal composto foi feito para um conjunto de 14 sismos selecionados. N?s primeiramente tentamos encontrar a solu??o do plano de falha considerando apenas a distribui??o de polaridades utilizando o programa FPFIT. Os resultados foram: 43? ? 15? para o azimute, 59? ? 9? para o mergulho e -142? ? 15? para o rake. N?s tamb?m ajustamos o plano usando a distribui??o hipocentral. Os resultados obtidos foram: 58? para o azimute, 55? para o mergulho, O valor do rake foi fixado em -155?. Este resultado mostra um mecanismo de uma falha transcorrente dextral com uma componente normal. Esta disserta??o mostra, mais uma vez, que existe uma boa correla??o entre a sismicidade e falhas mapeadas na regi?o pr?xima ao Lineamento Pernambuco e suas ramifica??es para nordeste