सत्यमेव जयते

Central Electricity Authority

Technical Specifications for Bird Flight Diverter

Background

The electrocution and collision of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and other
birds with the overhead power transmission lines is one of the major
causes of death of these birds. Great Indian Bustard, is one of the
flagship bird species of India and State bird of Rajasthan, which is an
endangered/near extinct species. Bird Flight Diverter, identified as one
of the measures to avoid the chances of collision of birds with
transmission lines, shall be placed in identified stretches as per the
guidelines of the Forest Authority.

Bird Flight Diverter (BFD) designs available with different manufacturers

in the market are not similar and it becomes difficult for the utilities to
procure suitable diverters for their requirement meeting environmental
conditions. Moreover, the size, color, operating temperature, grip
strength & other construction features of Bird Flight Diverter, the
installation and testing are some of the important features/parameters,
which needs to be standardized. Keeping in mind difficulty being faced
by the utilities, there is need for standardization of specifications of Bird
Flight Diverter so that similar type of bird diverters are installed on the
power transmission & distribution lines across the country.

The specification broadly covers general technical requirement, major

design parameters, requirement of certification, type tests & test
procedures and installation guide of Bird Flight Diverter etc.

The Bird Flight Diverter shall be placed in identified stretches as

per the conditions stipulated by forest authority to avoid the
chances of collision of birds with transmission lines.

1. General Technical Requirement

1.1 Bird Flight Diverter must be dynamic type and shall consist of
warning disc and associated clamps & connectors. These diverters
may or may not have solar powered LED. The dynamic solar
powered LED type Bird Flight Diverter shall be preferred in areas
where foggy/dusty weather persists or intensity of light is low or

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the sections of the lines lying in the route of migratory birds. The
requirement of solar powered LED may be decided by the utility.

1.2 Bird Flight Diverter shall be suitable for efficient working and shall
retain good physical characteristics under all weather conditions.

1.3 Bird Flight Diverter (BFD) shall be designed for expected service
life of at least 15 years.

1.4 BFD shall be suitable for installation on live line.

2. Design Parameters

2.1 For visibility of Bird Flight Diverter, warning disc shall be provided.
Warning disc shall:

(a) have glow in dark feature. Glow in dark shall remain

activated for at least 12 hours after exposure to sun light. If
Glow in dark stickers are used, the same shall be laminated
and suitable for all weather conditions.
(b) have contrasting coloured (combination of any two colours
from Red, Yellow, Orange, White) retro-reflective surface
with Sun and Moon light reflectors on both faces. Since,
warning disc is to be designed to rotate, the colour change,
while revolving, shall provide significant forewarning.
(c) swing, sway and rotate easily.
(d) be resistant to all weather conditions
(e) be aerodynamically stable so that diverter faces minimum
amount of drag force which provide swing and rotation effect
under medium/strong wind speed.
(f) be made of UV stabilized plastic. Bearing swivel shall be
made of stainless steel and should allow free spinning in
minimum wind speed of 2 km/hour.
(g) have diameter not less than 150 mm for circular disc. If
warning disc is quadrilateral or trapezoid or of any other
shape, then shortest arm length shall not be less than 90
mm and total surface area of warning disc should not be less
that 15,000 mm2 (including air vents).
(h) have thickness of not less than 3 mm.

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(i) not have less than 3500 mm2 reflective area on each face of
warning disc. Glow in Dark area also should not be less
than 3500 mm2.

2.2 Weight of Bird Flight diverter shall not be more than 800 gm. LED
type bird flight diverter should not weigh more than 1000 gm.

2.3 Length of bird diverter, from connection point to end, should not
be more than 430 mm.

2.4 Clamp & Hardware: The warning disc shall be suitable for hanging
on conductor/earth wire (or OPGW), by means of clamp &
hardware. Design details are as follows:

(a) The clamp for holding conductor/OPGW/earth wire shall be

spring type and shall be made of UV stabilized engineered
composite plastic (polymer) or metal and shall be suitable
for live line installation by hot stick or drone.
(b) All metal hardware used in Bird Flight Diverter including
bearing must be made of corrosion free material.
(c) All plastic (polymer) parts must be UV stabilized.
(d) Clamp must be suitable for gripping the conductor/OPGW/
earth wire strongly, otherwise due to aeolian vibrations/high
wind speed diverters may shift and move from its original
position and get collected at mid span (lowest sagging point).
Rubber/polyurethane lining shall be used in gripping area
of clamp as per requirement of conductor type.
(e) More than 50% of clamp gripping area shall be in contact
with earth wire/OPGW/Conductor.
(f) Clamp shall be free from sharp ends or edges, abrasions,
projections, grit or materials, and shall not cause chafing or
damage to the conductor/earth wire/OPGW, during fitting
or during continued operation.
(g) Parts of the clamp touching conductor must be able to
withstand temperature range from -15 oC to +85 oC for
conventional conductors. In case of installation on HTLS
conductor, maximum operating temperature under
emergency loading condition shall be specified by the utility.

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(h) The clamp must be able to bear pulling load of at least 50 kg

and it is to be tested on Universal Testing Machine by a
NABL accredited laboratory.
(i) Grip retaining strength: The clamp shall have smooth and
permanent grip to keep the Bird Flight Diverter in its original
position on the conductor/earth wire/OPGW without
damaging the strands or causing premature fatigue failure
of the conductor/earth wire/OPGW due to clamping
pressure. The clamp should not slip beyond permissible
limit as specified in test procedure in Annexure, when
pulled by a force of 25 Kg in the direction parallel to
conductor/earth wire/OPGW.
(j) In case of metallic bird diverters, the parts of clamp,
touching conductor/earth wire/OPGW must be made of
material, which is bad conductor of electricity.

2.5 For solar powered LED type diverter, following additional

requirement shall be fulfilled:

(a) LED shall be of Orange colour with adequate light intensity

so that it is clearly visible to GIB/birds from a distance even
during foggy/dusty weather/under low intensity of light.
(b) Battery shall be guaranteed for service life of 5 years and
shall be suitable for at least 100 hrs of flashing operation by
single charge.
(c) An automatic power cut-off electronics circuit shall be
provided to improve battery life so that during day time (due
to high intensity of light from sun), the circuit gets cut off &
stops flashing and the circuit switches on automatically
under low intensity light condition.
(d) Position of solar cell shall be such that it gets sunlight
irrespective of direction of the diverter face and the dust &
snow does not decrease its efficiency.

3. Tests & certifications:

I. Type Tests

The reports/certificates for following type tests conducted in

any NABL or equivalent accredited laboratory shall be

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submitted to the purchaser. All of the following tests shall be

conducted on the same sample. However, No. of Samples for
type tests shall be as per relevant standard or procedure
specified in Annexure. Type test report shall be valid for 10
years from the date of successful completion of tests.

a) Mechanical Strength test (As per Annexure):

 Direct Pull Test (50 kg by Universal Testing Machine)

 Clamp Slip Test/Grip Retaining Strength Test (25 kg force)
b) Vibration test (As per Annexure)
c) Temperature cycle test (As per Annexure)
d) Heating cycle test (As per Annexure)
e) Radio Interference Voltage and Visual Corona Test (As per
Annexure) (applicable for bird diverters for use on
transmission lines at 220 kV and above)
f) Corrosion Resistance Test: Salt fog (at 5% salt solution) and
Humidity test (at 90% Rh) as per procedure in accordance
with MIL-STD 810F (method 509.4 and Method 507.4)
g) Ageing tests - solar radiation test & sand and dust test as per
procedure in accordance with MIL-STD 810F (Method 505.4
proc II and 510.4 proc I)

Note: The Mechanical Strength Tests shall be carried out before

and after Ageing Test.

II. Acceptance tests:

Following acceptance tests shall be carried out on at least 5

samples in presence of the representative of the purchaser:

a) Visual Examination Test (As per Annexure)

b) Verification of Dimensions (As per Annexure)
h) Mechanical Strength test* (As per Annexure):
 Direct Pull Test (50 kg by Universal Testing Machine)
 Clamp Slip Test/Grip Retaining Strength Test (25 kg force)
*Only one of the 5 samples shall be subjected to ultimate failing
load.

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4. Warranty Period: All the bird diverters should come with a

warranty period of at least 5 years. The warranty shall cover all
components of the diverter. Any defect/damage/failure, if noticed
during the warrantee period, the diverter shall be liable for
replacement.

5. Installation Guide: Bird Flight Diverter should be installed on all

conductors and earth wire/ OPGW in identified stretches as per
the requirement stipulated by forest authority or other appropriate
authority to avoid the chances of collision of birds with
transmission lines (single/multi-circuits). For Great Indian
Bustard habitats and potential areas, as identified by
WII/MoEF&CC, one bird flight diverter shall be installed at every
10 m on the earthwire/OPGW and one bird flight diverter shall be
installed at every 15 m on phase conductors in a staggered way
such that as a whole, the power line will have effectively one
diverter at every 5m to 6m. In case of bundled conductors, bird
flight diverters may be installed on the lower conductor of the
bundle in staggered manner. This installation guide is for reference
purpose only. Appropriate authority may be consulted before
installation of bird diverters.

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Annexure

Test Procedures

1. Visual Examination Test:

Bird diverter assemblies shall be visually examined for general

finish and good workmanship.

2. Verification of Dimensions

The dimensions of the bird diverter assembly, including area of

warning disc, reflective area and glow-in-dark area, shall be
checked against approved drawings and requirements given in the
technical specification.

3. Vibration Test

The tests shall be conducted in a laboratory set up with a

minimum effective span length of 30 m for conductor, earthwire
and OPGW separately. The conductor/earthwire/OPGW shall be
tensioned at 25% of its Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS). Constant
tension shall be maintained within the span by means of lever arm
arrangement. The span shall be equipped with vibration inducing
equipment suitable for producing steady standing vibration. The
inducing equipment shall have facilities for stepless speed control
as well as stepless amplitude arrangement. Equipment shall be
able to measure the frequency, cumulative number of cycles and
amplitude of vibration at any point along the span.

Four number of Bird Diverters shall be clamped to the conductor

/earthwire/OPGW in and around the middle of the test span.
These bird diverters shall be free to vibrate and shall not be re-
torqued or adjusted between the tests. The frequency of vibration
is so chosen as to get an odd number of loops. The shaker shall be
positioned at least two loops away from the test specimens to allow
free movement of the conductor /earthwire/OPGW close to the test
specimens. The conductor /earthwire/OPGW shall be connected
to the shaker and vibrated to an amplitude such that

f1.8 Ymax > 1000 mm/sec.

Where Ymax being the antinode displacement (mm) and f is the test
frequency (Hz).

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The test frequency shall be greater than 24 Hz and the total

number of cycles shall be more than 10 million. The bird diverter
shall withstand the vibration test without slipping on the
conductor/earthwire/OPGW, loosening, damage or failure of
component parts.

After the completion of test, the same bird diverter shall be

subjected to mechanical strength test (direct pull test & clamp slip
test) as per the procedure given and the sample shall be able to
withstand the tests without damage/deformation.

A representative diagram of test assembly is given below.

4. Temperature Cycle Test

The complete bird diverter assembly shall be quickly and

completely immersed, without being placed in an intermediate
container, in a water bath maintained at a temperature of 85°C
and left submerged at this temperature for 15 minutes. The sample
then shall be withdrawn and quickly & completely immersed,
without being placed in an intermediate container, in the cold
water bath maintained at a temperature of -15°C where it shall
remain for 15 minutes. The sample shall be subjected to 10 such
cycles.

The time taken to transfer from either bath to the other shall be as
short as possible and never exceed 30 seconds. The quantity of
water in the test tanks shall be sufficiently large for the immersion
of the samples so as not to cause a temperature variation of more
than ±5°C in the water.

After completion of 10 cycles, the sample shall be examined to

verify that the sample has not deformed/damaged.

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5. Heating Cycle Test:

The heating-cycle test shall be carried out on an assembly of

conductor & bird diverters and heated by passing a current
through the assembly. The conductor shall be tensioned at 20
percent of its Ultimate Tensile strength (UTS) and shall be erected
indoors so that the conductor is roughly horizontal. Air shall be
able to circulate freely around the assembly which shall not
however be exposed to draughts.

The sample shall be connected on the conductor in accordance

with the manufacturer’s recommendations. The minimum length
of conductor used for determining this current shall be 2 m. The
test current shall be that power frequency current which raises the
surface temperature of the conductor to the specified maximum
operating temperature of the conductor and maintains the
temperature at a steady value. The test current shall be passed
continuously through the assembly for a period of 30 min or such
longer period as may be necessary to bring the reference conductor
to the specified maximum operating temperature of conductor ±2.5
°C. The current shall then be interrupted and the conductor shall
be allowed to cool to within 5 °C above the ambient temperature.
The conductor temperature shall be measured near the centre of
the test length.

This sequence of operation shall be repeated so that 250 cycles of

heating and cooling are applied. The sample shall not be tightened
or adjusted during the test. The sample shall afterwards be opened
and there shall be no sign of local heating, burning or fusing of any
part of the sample or of the conductor, as a result of the test.

6. Mechanical Strength Test

Following Mechanical Strength Tests shall be carried out on the

bird diverter after completion of Vibration Test, Temperature Cycle
Test, Heating Cycle Test, Corrosion Resistance Test and Ageing
Test.

a) Direct Pull test:

The clamp of the completely assembled Bird diverters shall be

subjected to a load equal to 50% of the specified load of 50 kg
(using Universal Testing machine) which shall then be increased
at a steady rate to 67% of the specified load. The load shall be held
for five minutes and then removed. After removal of the load, the
assembly and its components shall not show any visual

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deformation and it shall be possible to disassemble them. The

clamp shall then be reassembled and loaded to 50% of specified
load. The load shall be further increased at a steady rate to the
maximum load of 50 kg and shall be held for one minute. No
damage /deformation should occur during this period. The applied
load shall then be gradually increased until the failing load is
reached and the value shall be recorded.

b) Clamp Slip Test/Grip retaining strength test:

The test shall be carried out as per IEC 61854 (Fig. 1a). The tests
shall be performed separately using conductor, earthwire, and
OPGW. The conductor/earthwire/OPGW, free of any defects or
damage, shall be tensioned to 20% of its rated tensile strength. By
means of a suitable device (see fig. 1a of IEC 61854), load shall be
applied to the clamp along the axis of the conductor/
earthwire/OPGW and shall be gradually increased (not faster than
100 N/s or 10 Kgf/s) until it reaches the specified minimum slip
load of 250 N or 25 Kgf. The load shall be kept constant for one
minute. The movement of the clamp relative to its original position
on the conductor/ earthwire/OPGW shall be observed. The clamp
should not slip more than 10 mm and there should not be any
damage / deformation of the bird diverter and the conductor/earth
wire/OPGW. Thereafter, the load shall be increased gradually in
steps of 25 N or 2.5 kgf and shall be kept constant for one minute
at each step. The slippage at each step shall be recorded. The
process shall be continued till the slippage is observed to be more
than 10 mm from its previous position and the corresponding load
shall be recorded.

7. Corona Extinction Voltage Test (Dry)

The sample, when subjected to power frequency voltage, shall have

a corona extinction voltage of not less than that stipulated in the
Table below. The test shall be carried out as per IEC:61284. The
atmospheric condition during testing shall be recorded and the
test results shall be accordingly corrected with suitable correction
factor as stipulated in IEC 60060-1.

8. Radio Interference Voltage Test (Dry)

Under the conditions as specified above, Radio Interference

Voltage (RIV) level of the sample shall be less than the values
stipulated in the Table given below. The test procedure shall be in
accordance with IEC 61284.

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Sl. Voltage level Minimum Corona Maximum

No. Extinction radio
Voltage (kV) interference
voltage (at 1
MHz under dry
condition (micro
volts)
1 765kV 508 1000

(at 508 kV rms)

2 400kV 320 1000

(at 320 kV rms)

3 220kV/230kV 156 1000

(at 156 kV rms)

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