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Six-f oot black snake the culprit in power outage
Animal deterrents and security in substation
The vast majorit y of elect rical ut ilit y
subst at ions designed t o t ransf orm t ransmission
volt ages t o dist ribut ion class volt ages employ an
open-air design.
The conf igurat ions may vary, but usually consist
of equipment t hat ut ilizes polymer or porcelain
insulat ors or bushings t o creat e elect rically
insulat ed creepage and dry arc dist ances
bet ween t he pot ent ial volt age carried by t he bus
or conduct or and t he grounded port ions of t he
equipment or st ruct ure.
Alt hough t hese insulat ors or bushings provide
t he proper insulat ion dist ance f or normal
operat ion volt ages (AC, DC, and BIL), t hey do not provide suf f icient dist ances t o eliminat e bridging
of many animals f rom pot ent ial t o ground.
This animal bridging sit uat ion usually exist s at t he low side or dist ribut ion volt age port ion of t he
subst at ion (12 t hrough 36 kV), but depending on t he size and t ype of t he animal, can also af f ect
higher volt age equipment . Ut ilit ies have report ed t hat animal-caused out ages have become a
major problem af f ect ing t he reliabilit y and cont inuit y of t he elect rical syst em and are act ively t aking
st eps t o prevent it .
The ef f ect s of animal bridging ranges f rom nuisance t rips of t he elect rical syst em which may be a
moment ary occurrence, t o f ault s t hat may int errupt power f or long periods of t ime. Aside f rom
t he inconvenience and reliabilit y aspect s of animal-induced out ages, t here can be damage t o t he
subst at ion equipment ranging f rom porcelain bushings and insulat ors t hat may cost as lit t le as
$20.00, t o complet e dest ruct ion of large t ransf ormers running int o t he millions of dollars. There
can also be an environment al risk involved wit h cat ast rophic f ailure such as oil spillage f rom
equipment t hat has rupt ured due t o elect rical f ault s.
Damage f rom out ages is not limit ed t o t he equipment owned by t he elect rical ut ilit y. Many heavy
indust rial plant s such as pulp and paper, pet rochemical, and car manuf act urers employ processes
t hat are sensit ive t o int errupt ions and may result in signif icant t ime and money t o reest ablish
product ion. The prolif erat ion of comput ers, programmable logic cont rollers (PLCs), and ot her
elect rically sensit ive devices in t he workplace is also a reliabilit y concern.
In addit ion t o t he concern f or prot ect ing asset s such as subst at ion equipment , improving t he
reliabilit y of t he syst em, eliminat ing environment al risks, and ensuring cust omer sat isf act ion and
loyalt y, t he conservat ion of endangered and prot ect ed animal species is an issue. It is import ant t o
be educat ed and inf ormed about t he species and t ypes of animals t hat are prot ect ed in each
individual area or locat ion.
To evaluate the problem and its possible solutions, several aspects need to be investigated:
Animal t ype, size, and t endencies
Equipment volt age rat ing and clearance f rom elect rical ground
Nat ural surroundings
Met hod animals ent er subst at ion
Inf luences at t ract ing t he animals
Barrier met hods available t o keep t he animal out
Det errent met hods t o repel t he animals
Insulat ion opt ions
Animal Types
Clearance Requirements
The f ollowing t able has been developed t o aid in est ablishing minimum phase-t o-ground and
phase-t ophase clearances f or t he associat ed animals. This t able is f or ref erence only.
TABLE 1 Typical Clearance Requirement by Animal
Animal Type Phase-t o-Phase Phase-t o-Ground
Squirrel 18 (450 mm) 18 (450 mm)
Opossum/Raccoon 30 (750 mm) 30 (750 mm)
Snake 36 (900 mm) 36 (900 mm)
Crow/Grackle 24 (600 mm) 18 (450 mm)
Migrat ory Large Bird 36 (900 mm) 36 (900 mm)
Frog 18 (450 mm) 18 (450 mm)
Cat 24 (600 mm) 24 (600 mm)
Squirrels
In Nort h America, a common culprit causing bridging is t he squirrel. Alt hough t here are many
variet ies of squirrels, it can be assumed t hat t he nominal lengt h of a squirrel is 18 (450 mm). Using
t his dimension, you can evaluat e equipment and clearances t o det ermine areas where bridging
could occur bet ween pot ent ial and ground or phase-t o-phase. Clearances f or modern subst at ion
equipment rat ed 35 kV and above will normally be suf f icient t o eliminat e squirrel-caused problems;
however, dist ances bet ween phases and bet ween phase and grounded st ruct ures should be
examined.
There are several schools of t hought regarding t he reason squirrels of t en ent er subst at ions. One
explanat ion of f ered is t he proximit y of t rees and veget at ion near t he subst at ion sit e t hat may
at t ract squirrels. Some ut ilit ies report t hat removal of t his veget at ion had no ef f ect on t he squirrel-
caused out ages.
Expert s have t heorized t hat t he animals pat h is predet ermined and t he const ruct ion of a st ruct ure
will not det er a squirrel f rom f ollowing his int ended rout e. Ot hers believe t hat t he animals are
at t ract ed by heat or vibrat ion emit t ed f rom t he elect rical equipment . Regardless of t he reason,
squirrels are compelled t oward int rusion. The ent ry int o t he subst at ion does not always occur
over, under, or t hrough t he out er f ence of t he sit e. Squirrels are very adept at t raveling along
overhead conduct ors and of t en ent er t he subst at ion in t his manner. Because of t his f act ,
perimet er barriers are of t en inef f ect ual in prevent ing squirrel ent ry.
Birds
Birds creat e several problems when ent ering an elect rical subst at ion. The f irst and most obvious
is t he bridging bet ween phase-t o-ground or phase-t o-phase caused by t he wingspan when f lying
int o or exit ing t he st ruct ure. Anot her problem is t he bridging caused by debris used t o build nest s.
Many t imes mat erial such as st rands of conduct ors or magnet ic recording t ape may be readily
Many t imes mat erial such as st rands of conduct ors or magnet ic recording t ape may be readily
available f rom t he surrounding area and be ut ilized by t he birds. This conduct ive debris is of t en
dragged across t he conduct or/busbar and result s in f lashovers, t rips, or f ault s.
The t hird problem is cont aminat ion of insulat ors caused by regurgit at ion or def ecat ion of t he birds.
When t his residue is allowed t o remain, it can result in f lashovers f rom pot ent ial t o ground across
t he surf ace of t he porcelain or polymer insulat or by essent ially decreasing t he insulat ed creepage
dist ance. The f ourt h possibilit y is commonly known as a st reamer out age.
St reamers are f ormed when a bird def ecat es upon exit ing a nest t hat has been built above an
insulat or. The st reamers may creat e a pat h bet ween t he st ruct ure and conduct or/bus, result ing in
a f lashover. Birds will t end t o make nest s in subst at ions in an ef f ort t o eliminat e possible predat ors
f rom at t acking t he nest f or f ood. The const ruct ion of nest s in subst at ions can, in t urn, at t ract
ot her animals such as snakes, cat s, and raccoons int o t he area searching f or f ood.
Snakes
Snakes are a major cont ribut or t o subst at ion out ages. In some areas, snakes are responsible f or
virt ually all subst at ion wildlif e out ages. Because of t heir size and climbing abilit y, snakes can reach
most part s of a subst at ion wit hout dif f icult y. Snake-proof ing subst at ions can somet imes creat e
problems rat her t han solving t hem. Snakes t ypically ent er subst at ions hunt ing birds and eggs.
Eliminat ing t hese predat ors can lead t o an increase in t he bird populat ion inside t he subst at ion
boundaries.
This bird inf est at ion can t hen lead t o bird-induced problems unless addit ional measures are t aken.
Raccoons
Raccoons are excellent climbers and can easily gain access t o subst at ions. Unlike snakes,
raccoons will occasionally ent er subst at ions f or no part icular reason except curiosit y. Because of
t heir large size, raccoons can easily bridge phase-t o-phase and phase-t o-ground dist ances on
equipment wit h volt age rat ings up t o 25 kV.
SOURCE: C.M. Mike St ine, Sheila Frasier Animal det errent s/securit y