DPW038539P_-_Codes_and_Standards_IEEE_1651_Guide_for_Reducing_Bird-Related_Deaths.pdf

IEEE Guide for Reducing Bird-Related Outages

Sponsored by the Transmission and Distribution Committee

IEEE

3 Park Avenue New York, NY 10016-5997

USA

22 February 2011

IEEE Power & Energy Society

IEEE Std 1651™2010

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IEEE Std 1651™-2010

IEEE Guide for Reducing Bird-Related Outages

Sponsor

Transmission and Distribution Committee of the IEEE Power & Energy Society

Approved 30 December 2010

IEEE-SA Standards Board

Approved 7 June 2011

American National Standards Institute

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Abstract: Methods, techniques, and designs to mitigate bird-related power interruptions and equipment damage resulting from avian interactions with electric facilities are covered in this document. This document addresses electrocutions, collisions, nesting problems, and outages caused by fecal contamination and fecal streamers. The topics include bird impacts to transmission lines, distribution lines, and substations. Woodpecker issues are also addressed. It is believed that resolving these issues will improve system reliability and minimize revenue losses.

Keywords: alternate platforms, bird guard, bird spikes, collision, contaminations, electrocution, flashover, IEEE 1651, mitigation, nesting, perch guard, phase to ground fault, phase to phase fault, streamer outages

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Introduction

This introduction is not part of IEEE Std 1651-2010, IEEE Guide for Reducing Bird-Related Outages.

The information for this guide was drawn from electric utilities, suppliers, universities, consultants, published papers and reports, and personal observations. Included in this guide are practical methods for reducing bird-related outages.

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Patents

Attention is called to the possibility that implementation of this guide may require use of subject matter covered by patent rights. By publication of this guide, no position is taken with respect to the existence or validity of any patent rights in connection therewith. The IEEE is not responsible for identifying Essential Patent Claims for which a license may be required, for conducting inquiries into the legal validity or scope of Patents Claims or determining whether any licensing terms or conditions provided in connection with submission of a Letter of Assurance, if any, or in any licensing agreements are reasonable or non-discriminatory. Users of this guide are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any patent rights, and the risk of infringement of such rights, is entirely their own responsibility. Further information may be obtained from the IEEE Standards Association.

Participants

At the time this guide was submitted to the IEEE-SA Standards Board for approval, the Bird-Related Power Outages Working Group had the following membership:

Raji Sundarararjan, Chair Rick Harness, Vice Chair

Jeff Burnham Tony Carreira Ed Cherney James F. Christensen

Masoud Farzeneh Sheila Frazier Ravi Gorur

Dave Shaffner Steve Siegel Chris van Rooyen Jack Varner

The following members of the individual balloting committee voted on this guide. Balloters may have voted for approval, disapproval, or abstention.

William J. Ackerman Stan Arnot Anthony Baker Michael Bayer Harvey Bowles Chris Brooks Gustavo Brunello Thomas Buonincontri William Byrd James F. Christensen Robert Christman Randy Clelland Michael Clodfelder Michael Comber J. Doering Gary Donner Randall Dotson Gary Engmann Masoud Farzaneh George Gela Waymon Goch Edwin Goodwin Charles Grose Randall Groves

Bal Gupta Donald Hall Dennis Hansen Jeffrey Hartenberger Lee Herron Scott Hietpas Werner Hoelzl Edward Hunt Lars Juhlin Piotr Karocki John Kay Gael Kennedy Jim Kulchisky Saumen Kundu Chung-Yiu Lam Greg Luri Thomas McCarthy Peter Meyer Gary Michel Jerry Murphy Joe Nims Gary Nissen Carl Orde

Donald Parker Bansi Patel M. Pehosh Anthony Pierce Ulrich Pohl Keith Reese Joseph Renowden Robert Resuali Michael Roberts Charles Rogers Thomas Rozek Bartien Sayogo Dennis Schlender Lawrence Schweitzer Gil Shultz James Smith Jerry Smith John Spare Gary Stoedter R. Sundararajan Joseph Tumidajski John Vergis Waldemar Von Miller Carl Wall

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vi Copyright © 2011 IEEE. All rights reserved.

When the IEEE-SA Standards Board approved this guide on 30 September 2010, it had the following membership:

Robert M. Grow, Chair Richard H. Hulett, Vice Chair

Steve M. Mills, Past Chair Judith Gorman, Secretary

Karen Bartleson Victor Berman Ted Burse Clint Chaplin Andy Drozd Alexander Gelman Jim Hughes Richard H. Hulett

Young Kyun Kim Joseph L. Koepfinger* John Kulick David J. Law Hung Ling Oleg Logvinov Ted Olsen Ronald C. Petersen

Thomas Prevost Jon Walter Rosdahl Sam Sciacca Mike Seavey Curtis Siller Don Wright

*Member Emeritus

Also included are the following nonvoting IEEE-SA Standards Board liaisons:

Satish Aggarwal, NRC Representative Richard DeBlasio, DOE Representative Michael Janezic, NIST Representative

Michelle D. Turner

IEEE Standards Program Manager, Document Development

Matthew J. Ceglia IEEE Standards Program Manager, Technical Program Development

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vii

Contents

1. Overview

1.1 Scope

1.2 Purpose

2. Normative references

3. Definitions

4. Bird-Related issues

4.1 Types of birds

4.2 Types of issues

5. Criteria

5.1 Operating history

5.2 Avian protection plan (APP)

5.3 Application criteria

5.4 Performance monitoring

6. Mitigation techniques

6.1 Electrocutions

6.2 Streamers

6.3 Bird contamination

6.4 Nesting

6.5 Woodpecker damage

7. Summary

Annex A (informative) Additional information

Annex B (informative) Bibliography

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IEEE Guide for Reducing Bird-Related Outages

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This standard is not intended to ensure safety, security, health, or environmental protection. Implementers of the standard are responsible for determining appropriate safety, security, environmental, and health practices or regulatory requirements.

This IEEE document is made available for use subject to important notices and legal disclaimers.

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1. Overview

This guide is divided into seven sections or clauses. Clause 1 provides the purpose and scope. Clause 2 lists references to other IEEE standards and Clause 3 provides definitions of terms that are used throughout the guide. Clause 4 discusses the various types of birds likely to interact with facilities and the various types of outages they can cause. Clause 5 gives details about the criteria to start a mitigation program and Clause 6 explains different mitigation methods, the effectiveness of various mitigation methods and techniques for implementing an effective mitigation program. Clause 7 is the summary, followed by additional information in Annex A and the bibliography in Annex B.

1.1 Scope

This guide documents proven methods and designs to reduce bird-related outages, such as contamination outages, streamer outages, and electrocution/collision/contact outages on transmission lines, in substations, and on distribution lines, thereby improving reliability and minimizing the associated revenue loss.

1.2 Purpose

Recommended procedures and techniques for reducing bird related contamination, streamer, electrocution and collision (contact) outages on transmission lines, in substations and on overhead distribution lines, including all apparatuses and devices, such as insulators, transformers, surge arresters, capacitor banks, poles etc. are provided. The information in this guide was drawn from electric utilities, suppliers, universities, related industries, and personal observations. Included in this guide are methods for reducing various bird-related outages that have been shown to be effective. The information presented is of particular benefit to utilities that are experiencing various bird related outages, some not even aware of the problem. It is also of value to those utilities that are in the process of erecting new lines in areas where birds are prevalent.

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IEEE Std 1651-2010 IEEE Guide for Reducing Bird-Related Outages

Copyright © 2011 IEEE. All rights reserved.

2. Normative references

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document (i.e., they must be understood and used, so each referenced document is cited in text and its relationship to this document is explained). For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments or corrigenda) applies.

IEEE Std 957™-2005, IEEE Guide for Cleaning Insulators.1, 2

IEEE Std 1264™-1993, IEEE Guide for Animal Deterrents for Electric Power Supply Substations.

3. Definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply. The IEEE Standards Dictionary: Glossary of Terms & Definitions should be consulted for terms not defined in this clause.3

Alternate platform: A structure erected to provide birds an alternate nesting place.

Bird guard: A generic term for cover-up products designed to mitigate avian problems.

Bird perch: A support serving as a bird resting place.

Bushing cover: Insulating caps placed on equipment bushings to prevent incidental contact.

Coating: Is the generic term for paints, lacquer, enamels, etc. It is a liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition that has been converted to a solid protective, decorative, or functional adherent film after application as a thin layer (as defined by the Steel Structures Painting Council4).

Collision: A momentary event in which one object strikes another.

Electrocution: Death brought about by electricity.

Insulating cover: Insulating material placed on electrical wires, energized parts or grounded parts to prevent incidental phase to phase or phase to ground contact.

Raptor: A raptor is a bird of prey. Raptors have specialized talons and beaks to grasp and kill prey. Hawks, eagles, falcons, osprey, and owls are all raptors. Vultures are also considered a raptor although they primarily feed on carrion.

Streamer: A long fecal stream ejected by a large bird such as an eagle or heron.

Take: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service defines it under Migratory Bird Treaty Act as pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, or capturing migratory birds, without a valid permit. Take also includes an attempt to engage in such conduct.

1IEEE publications are available from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA (http://standards.ieee.org/).

2 The IEEE standards or products referred to in Clause 2 are trademarks owned by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Incorporated.

3 The IEEE Standards Dictionary: Glossary of Terms & Definitions is available at http://shop.ieee.org/.

4 Steel Structures Painting Council publications are available from the Steel Structures Painting Council, 4400 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.

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4. Bird-Related issues

Both small and large birds can create utility problems (see Animal Caused Outages [B1]5 – Frazier [B17], IEEE Task Force [B23], and Sundararajan, et al., [B30]. For example, flocks of small birds may congregate on utility equipment in large numbers and defecate on equipment and insulators creating a health issue and contamination flashovers. They may also create phase to phase faults through body-to-body contact. Larger birds such as eagles, hawks, owls and vultures also may cause outages through direct contacts.

Additionally, large birds may create outages on transmission lines due to fecal streamers. Bird nesting may create direct impacts due to nesting material contacting energized equipment, or nests may create secondary impacts by attracting snakes or mammals to nests, such as in substations. Large nests can also be a barrier and hamper maintenance line crews. Birds defending their nests may pose an additional risk to linemen attempting to climb and work on structures. Outages also can be caused by conductor galloping when large numbers of small birds roosting on a wire simultaneously flush. In rare instances bird collisions can push wires together, resulting in momentary outages. Occasionally large flocks of waterfowl have been recorded knocking primary wires to the ground. Birds like woodpeckers are known to cause significant structural damage to utility poles, requiring pole replacements, as shown in Cummings [B13]. Lastly, parrots, corvids, and certain species of vultures may chew on polymer insulators resulting in compromised insulation.

The damage caused by birds varies and should be evaluated not only by the problems they cause, but also by the species causing the problem. An effective solution requires knowledge on why a particular animal is creating a problem (see Animal Caused Outages [B1]– Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC) [B2] – [B4]).

4.1 Types of birds

Different bird species can cause different types of problems (see IEEE Task Force [B23], and Sundararajan, et al., [B30]). Raptors are often associated with direct phase to phase and phase to ground electrocutions (see Olendorff, et al., [B28] and Raptors at Risk [B29]). At greatest risk are larger species such as eagles, hawks, and ravens that utilize grasslands and shrublands. In other parts of the world, e.g., Africa, large vultures are most at risk due to their large size and tendency to roost together on one structure (see Taylor [B32] – van Rooyen, et al. [B34]). These birds readily utilize utility poles in an open landscape and if poles are not framed with adequate separation, their large size makes them susceptible to electrical contacts.

Raptors also frequently nest on utility poles, as do ravens. Other large birds such as storks also utilize utility structures for nesting. Large nesting birds can create outage problems due to the size of the nest and due to the nesting materials. For example, some species such as crows bring conductive materials such as baling wire into their nests. After the breeding season, nests can also create outage problems when they deteriorate and collapse during rainy seasons. Nesting issues can also occur with smaller colonial nesting birds. Some birds such as weaver finches and monk parakeets build large colonial nests which can compromise electrical clearances resulting in flashovers and fires.

Bird pollution/contamination and associated outages are typically created by large numbers of small birds such as starlings (see Taylor et al., [B32]) or by roosting birds (e.g., crows and vultures). Such problems may be elevated seasonally as birds congregate prior to migration. Contamination outages are usually associated with a subsequent light wetting event after droughty periods. In contrast, bird streamer outages are created by larger birds such as raptors, herons, vultures and storks. These problems may have both a seasonal and daily occurrence pattern. Streamer problems are related to the digestive system of the bird, and often occur either in the evening after digesting a meal or in the early morning as the birds eliminates their system before taking off to forage for the day.

Bird collisions with power lines are associated with a complex set of variables such as habitat use, weather, line placement and configuration, time of day, flight and flocking behavior, age and sex of birds. For

5 The numbers in brackets correspond to those in the bibliography in Annex B.

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example, a power line located between a feeding area and a roosting site can be problematic for waterfowl, especially when only a short distance separates them, resulting in birds making a short flight at the critical height. Bird size and maneuverability are important factors in evaluating species’ vulnerability to colliding with overhead wires (see Harness and Carlton [B21] and IEEE Task Force [B23]). Heavy-bodied birds such as cranes, condors, herons, swans, and pelicans are more often reported casualties of transmission and distribution line collisions because of their large wingspans and lack of agility. Birds such as ducks with a high wing loading are also more susceptible to collisions. Flying in flocks also restricts maneuverability and increases collision risk. Weather is also an important factor in collisions. Birds are able to avoid transmission wires in clear weather unless the birds are preoccupied or distracted. During storm events, reduced visibility and high winds may make it more difficult for birds to cross wires. Migrating birds unfamiliar with the location of power facilities are more likely to have collision incidents than resident bird individuals who become habituated to their presence and avoid the obstacles.

Even woodpecker species will vary in the amount and type of damage they inflict and it is important to know which species is causing the damage. Wire mesh is the most widely used barrier to prevent damage (see Cummings [B13]). Therefore when selecting an appropriate barrier, it is critical to know what woodpecker species are damaging poles.

Consideration of additional factors beyond the problem species also is important when addressing outages.

The degree to which animals will pose problems will vary according to geographic locations and habitat.

Many birds migrate and activity levels and the number of outages will vary with the season of the year.

These patterns may change from year to year due to changes in weather and land use practices.

4.2 Types of issues

4.2.1 Electrocution outages

Although utility-construction practices continue to improve, animal caused outages persist IEEE Std 1264-19936. These outages often result in damaged equipment, safety problems, health hazard, and loss of service to customers. According to a National Rural Electric Cooperative Association survey included in Animal Caused Outages [B1] animals are the third-leading identifiable cause of all U.S. power outages and birds cause more transmission outages than any other animal. Animal-caused outages (including bird outages) have been studied by several groups including the APLIC (see [B2] – [B4], the California Energy Commission (CEC), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) [B15], the Harness and Carlton [B21] and IEEE Task Force [B23], and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). There are numerous documents addressing animal-caused outages (see Kaiser [B25], Naidoo, et al., [B27], Raptures at Risk [B29], and Sundararajan and Gorur [B31]). The following should be referenced to better understand various problems and for methods to address bird electrocution outages:

Suggested Practices for Avian Protection on Power Lines: The State of the Art in 2006. Edison Electric Institute. Washington, D.C. 207 pp. Avian Power Line Interaction Committee. 2006.

Birds and Power Lines; Collision, Electrocution and Breeding. Quercus, Madrid, Spain. M. Ferrer and G.F.E. Janss [eds.] 1999.

Distribution Wildlife and Pest Control, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2001. 1001883.

Wildlife Control and Protection Report, DSTAR Project 10-3. Energy Solutions, General Electric International, Inc. Schenectady, NY.

Contributing factors for raptor electrocutions include the following:

6 Information on normative references can be found in Clause 2.

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a) Species: Large raptors are more susceptible to electrocution. Historically the raptors most commonly electrocuted in North America are the eagles and hawks. In the U.S., golden eagles are electrocuted more frequently than bald eagles because golden eagles hunt in grasslands where power poles make attractive perches. Also in the U.S. the most common hawk species electrocuted is the red-tailed hawk and the most common electrocuted owl species is the great-horned owl. In Africa, large vultures such as the cape vulture and certain large eagle species e.g. the martial eagle are most commonly electrocuted due to their large size.

b) Age: Juvenile raptors lack the experience and flight control of adult birds and as a result are more frequently electrocuted than adults are. Age can also be related to behavioral factors which can place birds at risk. For example, young Golden eagles have not yet mastered the ability to hunt from the soar and therefore will hunt perch to perch using utility poles.

c) Weather: Wet birds are more susceptible to electrocution. Crossarms perpendicular to the wind allow raptors to soar away from the structures and attached conductors. Crossarms mounted parallel to the prevailing wind can cause a raptor to be blown into energized conductors.

d) Seasonal fluctuation: During winter, distribution poles are valuable sit-and-wait hunting sites. In spring, the poles provide nest sites and perches to broadcast territories. In the summer, poles provide shade for birds perched on crossarms or brackets located lower on the pole.

e) Topography: Raptors may seek out preferred perch poles located in favorable habitat with a commanding view.

f) Hardware and equipment separation: Certain utility configurations such as three phase transformer banks may have relatively close separation between conductors and conductors-to-ground. Poles with less than 60-inches of horizontal and 40- inches vertical separation in eagle habitat can pose an electrocution risk.

NOTE—See [B27].

4.2.2 Bird collisions

Nearly all birds have some form of legal protection and electrocutions and collisions of protected species are violations of federal and/or state laws. In the U.S., all native, North American migratory birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Bird collisions do not always result in electrical outages, but collisions can result in death or injury to the bird, and utilities are liable for bird deaths caused by both electrocutions and collisions, even if the deaths are unintentional. Disturbed by the continuing large numbers of birds electrocuted and colliding with power lines, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun to step up enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. All migratory birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In a landmark case, a utility was sentenced to three years probation for electrocuting 17 eagles and hawks near Rangely, Colorado. The utility ultimately pleaded guilty to six violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Eagle Protection Act. Under the settlement it agreed to pay $100,000 in fines and restitution to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This guide provides methods for reducing bird electrocutions and collisions with overhead distribution lines. Some of these methods present another set of problems. These are discussed along with the current research that is aimed at developing tools in order to better understand the problem and to evaluate the effectiveness of these mitigating methods.

Bird collisions have been studied by several groups including the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC) [B2] –[B4], the California Energy Commission (CEC), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). There are numerous documents addressing bird collisions, such as Ferrer, M. and Guyonne, F.E.

[B16], Garrett [B22], Harness and Carlton [B21], and IEEE Task Force [B23] and the following should be referenced to better understand various problems and for methods to address bird collisions:

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⎯ Aviation Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC) [B2]

⎯ Ferrer et al., [B16]

⎯ Corona Testing Devices Used to Mitigate Bird Collisions [B12]

Bird collisions with power lines are influenced by how birds use habitat near power lines. Many collisions with power lines occur during daily flights within a daily use area. In general, ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands, where birds congregate to nest, feed, roost, migrate or over-winter, should be avoided for power line sitting. Intermittent wetlands are another good example of habitat which should also be avoided if feasible and alternate routes be considered, if necessary. A power line located between a feeding area and a roosting site of waterfowl or shorebirds can be disastrous, especially when only a short distance separates them so that the birds only have to make a short flight at the critical height. Power lines dividing wetlands have historically caused many crane and field-feeding waterfowl collisions as the birds move between wetlands and agricultural feeding areas. Birds crossing power lines at low altitudes several times a day makes them more susceptible to collision.

4.2.3 Streamer outages

A problem experienced with large birds that perch on transmission electrical facilities are outages caused from their excrement. When large birds take flight from a perch on an overhead structure, they will often empty their bowels. These fecal streams flowing back to their perch, called “streamers” can create a conductive path bridging partially or totally the gap between the structure and the high voltage conductors that can result in a flashover and a streamer outage. Occasionally, the bird is caught, either fatally, or wounded in the flashover. But this is not always the case, which makes bird outage cause detection difficult.

Streamer outages are an old problem that is more common on transmission lines than on distribution lines.

The idea of bird streamers to account for unexplained outages was first put forth by California Edison during the 1920s (see Michener [B26]). During the period, laboratory experiments were conducted with bird excrement to demonstrate the likelihood of flashover, and field trials on various types of guards that were installed to prevent streamers from polluting insulators.

Since the first observations and field trials were conducted on various types of insulators to prevent streamers from contaminating insulators, many utilities reported similar problems with devices used to mitigate the problem (see Burnham [B10], Naidoo et al., [B27], van Rooyen et al., [B33] and [B34]).

Following outages on 500 kV line insulators that were traced to bird streamers, full scale experiments were done in 1970 by the Bonneville Power Association (BPA) to elucidate the mechanism of flashover (see West et al., [B35]). BPA was also involved with several other utilities in an investigation on unexplained transmission line outages in the mid 1980s. The study specifically looked at the streamer theory and concluded that although the streamers were not a major contributor to the outages, the possibility of some minor contribution cannot be ruled out. However, Florida Power and Light has experienced a large number of bird streamer outages on their transmission lines since 1977 (see Burnham [B10]) and similar outages have also been identified in South Africa (see Naidoo et al., [B27], van Rooyen et al., [B33] and [B34]).

In general, very large birds, such as eagles and hawks cause streamer outages. Streamer outages have also been caused by herons, cranes, and other large non-raptorial birds. Streamer outages in Florida, Nevada, California and South Africa have been found to exhibit certain characteristics or follow typical patterns.

Some of these characteristics are listed below which can be used as a guide to attribute unexplained outages to bird streamers. If several of these characteristics are present, bird streamers should be suspected. In addition, there may be characteristics that are typical to a given environment due to species, season, migration, life cycle and variability in the food supply (see also Carlton and Harness [B11] and van Rooyen, et al. [B33]). These characteristics are as follows:

a) Unknown cause, neither lightning, switching surge, contamination or any known cause.

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b) The presence of large bodied birds, such as eagles, hawks, ospreys, vultures or herons.

c) Outages that occur between the hours of 2300 to 0600 giving the suspicion that it may be a contamination flashover.

d) The lack of natural roosts, such as trees in the area of the outages.

e) The abundant availability of food, agricultural land, sugarcane field or ponds.

f) Typically there is a dominant faulting phase or phases that can be traced to the design of the structure which makes certain phases more vulnerable to bird streamers due to the birds being able to perch directly above the phase conductor. Often the center phase in flat configurations is more vulnerable than the two outer phases. With stacked configurations, the top phase is often the dominant faulting phase.

g) Seasonal pattern related to the presence of birds or their feeding habits, with outages often concentrated in one area, linked to the availability of food or specific habitat e.g. a wetland.

h) Instantaneous relay actions with successful reclosure, typically not more than two in the same area.

i) Flashed insulators, hardware or structures, possibly evidencing burn spots on the upper bridge of metallic structures. Typically, only one or two disks at the live end of the insulator is flashed with the rest of the string clean, as the arc path does not follow the insulator string but bridges the air gap between the phase conductor and the steelwork above.

j) The presence of dead or injured birds or burnt feathers near the structure after an outage.

4.2.4 Bird contamination outages

Bird contamination flashovers occur due to the accumulation of bird droppings over time. The highly conductive droppings and the wetness of bird excrement on insulators reduce the surface resistance to such an extent that the nominal line voltage easily establishes an arc across the insulators (see also [B29]). These events are usually triggered by a light wetting event, such as a light mist. As opposed to streamers which are only caused by larger birds, contamination outages can be caused by concentrations of small birds.

Figure 1 —Bird excreta on porcelain post insulator (left) due to thousands of starlings near the

69 kV line in arizona (right)

Figure 1 (left) shows a typical bird contaminated insulator, having bird droppings all over the sheds. The insulator was a 69 kV ceramic post, contaminated by thousands of starlings and some pigeons over a period of several months [Figure 1 (right)]. A series of flashovers occurred on an early morning when there was unusually heavy fog. Figure 2 shows the low voltage surface leakage current measurement of only two sheds at a voltage stress of 20 V/mm. Repeated leakage current measurements over several days recorded currents as high as 24 mA, demonstrating the unusually high conductance and adherence of the droppings.

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srp bird insulator #2 (day 2)

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 time (min.)

su pp ly v ol ta ge

(V le ak ag e cu rr en t ( m A bottom (LV) top (HV)

Figure 2 —Leakage current on the insulator recorded at low voltage: upper curve – LV end, lower curve – HV end; the bars represent voltage applied

4.2.5 Nesting outages

Nesting causes outages in several ways, such as dropping nest materials causing shorts, by contacting live conductors while flying in and out of the nest, by attracting predators and animals or by bringing large prey items to the nest which bridge insulator gaps. An accumulation of fecal material on and around the nests can also contribute to contamination issues (see [B29]). Large birds nesting on transmission structures may also contribute to streamer problems. There are instances recorded in which nests caught fire, causing pole fires and outages. Leakage currents caused by fecal contamination attributable to the increased activity around a nest can contribute to the risk of fire (Figure 3). A 1990 IEEE survey reported that 86% of the responded utilities have indicated birds caused major problems in substations, second only to squirrels.

Figure 3 —Outage and fire risk due to a red-tailed hawk nest

4.2.6 Woodpecker problems

Woodpecker damage to utility poles has resulted in significant economic losses to utility companies [B13].

Woodpecker-caused damage to utility poles may be attributed to several factors depending on the species.

The presence of woodpecker damage will depend upon: habitat suitability, woodpecker density, and insect presence. Smaller species such as the Ladder-backed woodpecker commonly drills holes on the undersides of crossarms of smaller poles, sometimes widening holes to the extent of creating a hole completely through the crossarm. The acorn woodpecker creates both large holes for roosting and nesting and smaller holes for storing acorns. Larger Pileated woodpeckers create extensive damage on utility poles, typically in the middle to upper portion of the pole below the crossarm. The holes tend to have a square-shaped outline and initially have an angular cone shaped appearance inside. These holes may extend for several feet. The holes also allow the wood to be attacked by biological agents (e.g., fungi, boring insects), which may

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accelerate the degradation and reduce the strength of the wood. Thus, woodpecker damage can create serious structural problems and woodpecker holes also may create problems to linemen climbing the poles due to structural damage of the pole as well as due to the insects and animals living in vacated holes.

4.2.7 Costs associated with bird issues

Birds have in common the habits of roosting and perching that bring them into contact with the overhead power system. Their presence typically causes several types of power outages; due to animals and nesting debris contacts with overhead conductors, and to streamers and insulator contamination. Additionally, woodpeckers destroy wood poles causing structural failures and a variety of birds (corvids, parrots, and parakeets, to name a few) may destroy the housings of polymer insulators.

The problems caused by birds are more common and widespread than generally thought, affecting power system reliability by causing major power outages costing millions of dollars every year (see [B17], [B18], and [B29]). On distribution lines, birds may be responsible for nearly 25 % of all outages in the United States (see [B18]). Because of their concentration and exposure, distribution systems are particularly vulnerable to service interruptions from birds. The equipment susceptible to bird-related damage include power transformers, capacitor banks, breakers, reclosers, surge arresters, poles, voltage and current transformers, regulators, switchgear, potheads, switches, bushings, insulators and bus conductors.

Flashovers cause costly damage, which in many cases is so severe that equipment or components must be replaced. The equipment most often damaged are bushings and insulators. Besides the direct damage to the insulators, the fault can cause stress in other equipment, such as transformers, breakers, and other which reduces the life of equipment and sometimes results in complete equipment failure.

Birds also indirectly cause a number of animal related outages, by attracting predators like cats, raccoons and snakes into their nests for eggs or nestlings. One historical snake caused substation outage resulted in $2,400,000 in damaged equipment alone.

In addition to direct damage, birds invite other animals and rodents which cause additional damage; they chew on cable insulation, damaging cables in troughs, control houses, switchgears and vaults. Birds also build nests that can interfere with equipment operation.

There are also other intangible effects. For example while industrial and commercial customers can determine their cost of an outage in terms of lost production, lost time, lost revenue, possible repair and maintenance cost, and so forth, residential customers can’t pinpoint a dollar figure for lost leisure activities and quality family time, interrupted household activities, and the discomfort with the loss of heating or air conditioning.

4.2.8 Safety/health hazards

Birds can also pose safety hazards for operations and maintenance personnel. In addition, they can cause health hazards, especially due to the accumulation of their waste and as a host to parasites and disease. Bird droppings are the most common problem, especially where large flocks of pigeons, ravens, starlings, etc.

have roosted within a substation or on capacitor banks, hundreds to thousands at a time.

5. Criteria

A mitigating program should be developed if either an unacceptable level of bird-related outages have been experienced or when bird mortality has occurred in violation of law such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States. The usual criteria for implementing animal deterrent programs are frequency and duration of outage occurrences, cost of occurrences, safety hazards, health hazards, severity of damage, Authorized licensed use limited to: US Army Research Laboratory. Downloaded on October 19,2017 at 20:51:34 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

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equipment type, customers served, location of structure/substation, quality of service and the need to comply with wildlife protection laws and regulations.

5.1 Operating history

Many utilities will need a bird program whose extent and procedures will vary depending upon the size of the utility, geographical area, nature of the bird(s) and the types of outages encounter. Once a bird-related outage mitigation program is identified, the specific causes of the problem need to be determined. Outage records, maintenance reports, and routine inspections of facilities will offer specific information as to the cause and extent of the problem. Many companies have outage reporting systems that typically identify:

⎯ The problem- which may include the outage location (by circuit) duration and number of customers impacted.

⎯ The pole number or specific equipment involved.

⎯ Site information such as birds species present or absent, the weather at the time of the outage, and urban or rural setting.

⎯ How the outage was corrected.

⎯ Notes for additional actions which may include a problem with a particular configuration or the need to apply the correction to other locations.

All utilities will need a bird program, what will vary is the extent of the program and procedures to address utility-specific issues

These data should be used to develop an understanding of what types of problems are occurring and where they occur. This information can be used as a foundation for preparing an avian protection plan (APP).

5.2 Avian protection plan (APP)

An APP is an implemented program, designed to proactively protect the electric…