Guarding Power Systems and Wildlife: The Role of Animal Outage Protective Covers

The point of interaction between the equipment and wildlife, such as birds or scavenging carnivores, is the most vulnerable one. The animals constantly threaten the safe operation assets of the electrical transmission systems. This has an impact on the global economy owing to sudden power losses. With the goal of maintaining high system reliability, animal outage protective covers are one such solution to achieve that. In this article, we’ll discuss the role of animal outage protective covers and where you can purchase them.

Factors leading to a growing interest in animal outage protective covers

To achieve high system reliability

To maintain high system reliability, power transmission lines must be protected from animal outages. Through the selective application of well-designed wildlife outage protection products like animal outage protective covers, you can save huge losses from sudden power outages and also aid wildlife protection.

Damage to expensive assets

The interaction between wildlife and electrical equipment has multiple effects, including electrocution, faults, and wildfires. The threat is not limited to just this but also harming expensive assets. Distribution transformers, circuit breakers, lighting arresters, air break switches/isolators, insulators, and so on are some of the important equipment to protect to prevent damage to these expensive assets.

Prevent species from being electrocuted.

Several species are at risk of being electrocuted during phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground contacts. For instance, raptors have wingspans that place them at higher risk of being in contact with energized equipment. It becomes a problem at substations where clearance is determined by flashover performance (meaning how well it can handle a sudden burst of electricity) and not by the wingspans of raptors or local birds.

A wide array of designs

Animal outage protective covers and other protection devices come in different designs and are made with a variety of polymeric materials. Also, there are a wide variety of fits available, which is a key factor to consider before buying it. Power arcs travel through the air, covering the gap between creatures, and live fitting is crucial for wildlife and asset protection. Any crack in the protective covering can allow wildlife to enter, and with a higher voltage, the risk is greater.

For instance, bird nesting at substations can invite cats, snakes, or other predators alike to dislodge loose-fitting covers as they push to the nest. The result can be electrocution and a costly outage.

Where can you buy animal outage protective covers?

Midsun IKM is a leading animal outage protective cover manufacturer that provides clients with pre-manufactured and pre-molded silicone products to protect a variety of electrical assets and avoid wildlife interaction with electrical systems.

Midsun IKM ensures to provide animal mitigation covers & silicone coatings with properties like a great fit, along with being fire-resistant. In many cases, the material itself becomes a problem over the long term. They keep in mind the considerations of the material used in animal outage protective covers that holds suitability to an outdoor environment of electric fields and persistent high ultraviolet radiation.

Being the leaders in the industry, they ensure the product has the ability to face the same stresses as an insulator does. It is always advisable to check the tracking and erosion performance and UV test data for wildlife protection devices before installing them. This is the only way to ensure the durability of the product in a hostile environment.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, protecting electrical equipment from wildlife interactions is crucial to ensuring system reliability and preventing costly outages. Animal outage protective covers play a vital role in safeguarding assets from electrocution, faults, and other risks. Leading manufacturers like Midsun IKM offers a range of silicone-based bodies that ensure a proper fit and resilience against outdoor conditions, ultimately contributing to both operational efficiency and wildlife preservation.