Grandfather Sasha does not shock at all. On the contrary, a 72-year-old pensioner breaks all records in the field of communication between people with all kinds of physical phenomena. A resident of one of the villages of the Lebedyansky district of the Lipetsk region, Alexander I. IGNATOV (by the way, a professional carpenter) manages electric appliances to the envy of any electrician ...

His wife Alexandra Matveevna, with whom he lived for 43 years, is still afraid of the possibilities of her husband:

He is repairing something like electricity, so he calls me, they say, come here, mother, do not be afraid. But how can I not be afraid? I always go to another room and watch from there how an old TV or desk lamp is fixing ...

The young carpenter Ignatov discovered his phenomenal abilities back in Moscow in the 50s, when he worked at a construction site:

- We were sitting during a smoke break next to bare wires with a voltage of 5 thousand volts. I wanted to take it, my hand reached out, grabbed - nothing ...

And so it went. The watchman was encouraged to talk to you with electricity, and he was not going to change his profession. Until now, the grandfather of an encore shows tricks: he will insert an extension cord plug into the socket, two nails are stuck into it, to which he connects the bare wires to the table lamp with his fingers.

The lamp shines, the grandfather holds on to the wires under current and even lets go of jokes:

- Oh, something is hot today, as much heat has begun on my body ...

He repeats the same trick with a boiler. Moreover, the current passing through the wires that hold the grandfather's fingers, Alexander Ivanovich considers special, healing.

- Water boiled in this way receives a special charge - I know that for sure. It becomes healing, you can drink such water from all diseases, because I gave it my own biofield ...

For healing water, charged in such an unusual way, people travel from all the surrounding villages. They say that it helps many. The healer himself believes that his biofield eliminates many diseases. This, of course, cannot be verified. Well, the fact that the grandfather easily communicates with wires under current, we saw with our own eyes.

In the event of some kind of accident at the nearby factories, Alexander Ivanovich is called to help: who else can fearlessly take on live wires?

“The current cannot kill me,” the pensioner boasts, keeping his hands on the wires and humming like a transformer.

We measured the resistance of the grandfather's organism with a special tester device, then ours. The results were almost the same - about 350 - 340 kilo-ohms. Only now, the experiment did not dare to repeat it.

“Don’t think about it,” the owner advised. - Many tried, but after electric shocks scattered to different angles ...

They didn’t even try. We drank the charged water and went, scratching in the back of the head, back home. And the pensioner, who did not become an electrician, looked after him, rubbing his fingers slightly, just holding bare wires.

For a comment on the phenomenon, we turned to specialists. The head doctor of the regional burn center Konstantin LOKATOSH was discouraged:

“Have you seen all this yourself?” Ah, they saw ... A person is a kind of capacitor, in the body of which processes related to electrochemical phenomena take place ... But I can not say what the matter is in this case. Although we have many people with electric injuries being treated in the burn center. Current is very dangerous for the body.

Anatoly SERGIENKO, associate professor of the Department of Normal Physiology of the Voronezh Medical Academy, explained this phenomenon as follows:

- This case, of course, is rare, but not unique. It's all about the skin of this person. Apparently, he has it very dry, so it has some special increased resistance. This is the structure of the epidermis - the upper layer of the skin of this person. He takes on bare wires, as if in rubber gloves, the functions of which are performed by his specific skin. But even she is able to withstand not all tension.

Everyone knows that power lines are energized, and you should not touch them in any case. But here the birds sitting on wires, this circumstance does not excite at all. Wires for birds are a convenient place to relax and socialize, and also unattainable for cats. How do birds manage to remain safe and sound?

It turns out that in order to answer this question, it is necessary to recall the school physics course, or rather that part of it that is related to electrodynamics. Power lines are used to transmit electricity in the form of electric current. The electric current transmitted through the wires is variable and constant. But in the vast majority of cases, it is AC that flows along the power lines.

How does an electric shock or electric shock occur? A similar nuisance happens during the passage of electric current through the body. And this happens because of the large voltage difference at the points of contact with the conductors, in our case with the wire.

Now let's see what happens to a small bird sitting down to rest on a wire. During landing, the bird touches only one wire with two paws, so the voltage at the two points of contact is the same. The bird has no other contact with any other objects (current conductors). At the same time, there is no voltage difference, and the birds in full health continue to sit on the wires. But should a larger bird make an awkward movement, for example, hitting a pole-pole of a power transmission line, an adjacent wire or a tree branch hanging over the line with its wing, then there immediately arises a potential difference leading to sad consequences.

The second important point is the size of the body. The bird acts as a capacitor, that is, a certain charge of current accumulates in it and its discharge occurs. Since the size of the body is small, then the capacitance of the capacitor will be small. But with animals larger in such a case, trouble may also occur - the capacity of their bodies will be higher. As a result, an electric shock can also occur.

In the case of larger living things, including humans, contact with power lines invariably leads to tragedy. A person always stands on something, he cannot stay on the wires and touch nothing else. And in case of contact with other objects, as we have already explained above, there is a voltage difference, which leads to electric shock. Thus, it turns out that the secret of birds sitting on the wires lies in their small size and in the fact that they are able to sit on the wire without touching other objects.

Observing birds sitting on power lines, each of us at least once wondered why the current does not work on feathered flyers. At the same time, more attentive observers note that power lines with a voltage class of 220 kV or more do not use birds as a perch. To explain the reasons for this, we recall the school physics course, and for one, the basics of electrical safety. This will help to understand why birds are not shocked by wires.

Theory

First of all, we will take a brief excursion into the school physics course to recall what electric current, voltage and resistance are. The electric current (the accepted designation is I) is nothing but the movement of charged particles (electrons, ions, etc.). An important condition for their directed movement of charges is the potential difference (voltage, the accepted designation U) between two points of the electric circuit.

Now we consider such a physical quantity as resistance (the accepted notation is R). By it is meant the obstruction of the conductor to the flow of electric current through it. The converse of resistance is conductivity. It depends on criteria such as length, conductor, its cross section, as well as the specific resistance of the material. The resistance of the conductor can be calculated by the formula: R \u003d (l * p) / S, l is the length, S is the cross section, p is the resistivity (tabulated value).

These theoretical calculations will be enough to understand why the birds are not electric shock on the wires of power lines. If you have questions about the theoretical part, you can get more detailed information from other publications on our website. We will proceed directly to the consideration of the phenomenon.

What happens to birds on wires?

To solve the problem, it is necessary to consider the introductory conditions. In this case, they are as follows:

• A power line wire through which high-voltage electricity flows.
• Dielectric in the form of air surrounding high-voltage wires and cables.
• Birds sitting quietly on the wires and apparently do not feel any discomfort.

To explain this, it is enough to recall that the electric current propagates along the path of least resistance. A bird sitting on a wire can be thought of as a resistor shunted by a conductor. As a result, the internal resistance of the bird's body will be higher than that of the conductor, on which it rests with both paws. In addition, on the legs of the flyers there is a layer of keratinized scales, playing the role of insulators at the points of contact with the wires.

As a result, we have a resistor whose resistance is much higher than that of the shunt conductor. This does not allow electric current to pass through the body of the bird, but at the same time a potential equal to the voltage in the power line is formed on it.

Note that the birds fly around the power line with a voltage class of 220.0 kV or more, and in wet weather and 110.0 kV lines. This is due to the formation of high-intensity electromagnetic fields and corona discharges on the wires of overhead lines. An exception is some birds of prey; they can also be observed on lines of 330.0 kV. According to ornithologists, this is due to the presence of a certain resistance to the effects of intense electromagnetic fields.

Conditions under which a bird will be shocked and die

As already mentioned in the theoretical part, a potential difference is necessary for the formation of an electric current. Therefore, in order for the bird to “jerk” the current, he must touch the adjacent wire (for example, wings or beak, since bird paws will be problematic), which will result in either short circuit to the lightning protection line or zero.

Naturally, such a “trick” is available only for large birds, the wingspan of which will be enough to touch the adjacent cable. The sparrow is unlikely to succeed, but if a crow sits on a wire, it may well reach another phase. As a result, a current will flow through her body, which will lead to the death of the bird.

Naturally, if insulated wires are used in the overhead line, then there is no voltage difference, and, consequently, the discharge current does not pass through the body of the bird. This is due to the large insulation resistance, which is a dielectric that does not pass both direct current and alternating voltage.

The problem of "bird" outages

While most people believe that birds are not susceptible to electric shocks on overhead lines, statistics show other results. In particular, most US power companies (to be precise about 87%) associate many power outages with birds. Note that similar problems are to one degree or another characteristic of Russia, and in certain regions “bird” outages require radical measures.

Studies conducted in the suburbs showed that on average for every 10.0 km of power lines there are about 150 charred remains of birds. That is, they are killed by electric shock, so the stories about the invulnerability of birds are somewhat exaggerated.

It should be noted that it is not the birds themselves that cause the most damage to the electrical industry, but their excrement. Getting on insulators, and other electrical facilities, they can cause a short circuit. Moreover, medium-sized birds can also differ if they gather in sufficient quantities.

Collective seats are also dangerous because the weight of the flock can greatly pull off the power lines of power lines. When the birds leave the OHL at the same time, its wires can overlap when rectified, which will provoke a short circuit. This can be avoided by amplifying the overhead line by installing a double wire.

Not so often there are more exotic causes of “bird” outages, for example, woodpeckers that destroy wooden poles or birds that eat the ribs of insulators made on a polymer basis.

No less problem is the attempt at nesting on pylons. When constructing nests, not only branches, but pieces of wire that are brought into the nest can brid insulators or cause interfacial short circuiting.

Even if there are no wires or other conductive elements in the sockets, such a design, wet in the rain, can create a short circuit.

Fighting Bird Outages

There is a clause in the PUE devoted to this problem (clause 5.7.10). It says that in places of a large concentration of birds that form intense pollution by droppings of insulators, as well as in nesting areas, it is necessary to install special repellent devices that do not cause damage to birds. Since there is no more detailed information in the Rules on repelling devices, let us turn to the experience of other countries.

In particular, in the USA, in order to prevent large birds from grazing on phase wires, they increase the size of the upper struts of the supports. Their height is increased in comparison with standard models by 40.0 cm, and the length on the side of the traverse by 30.0 cm.

As for the problem of mass nesting on the electrical supports, the only effective solution remains the installation of a special platform where there is a "blank" of the nest. Dropping nests (during the period of their leaving) does not give results; next year the nests will be restored. Attempts to deprive the feathered material for construction also proved futile.

At one time, special steel "hedgehogs" were installed in the places of landing and nesting. The method turned out to be effective, but was banned by environmentalists due to the high probability of bird wounds when trying to land. Replacing steel rods with plastic ones gave the opposite effect, the birds began to bite through the rods and use them as materials for nests. As a result, the electricity companies had to return to the installation of special sites for nests.

Note that nesting can be fought by installing, generating light flashes during the night in random order.

To protect against bird droppings, the installation of a special “umbrella” above the garland of insulators helps. Now many manufacturers produce various models of polymer insulators, in which the upper edge is much larger than other insulators.

The diameter of such an upper rib is about 45.0-50.0 cm, which is excellent protection against both raindrops and droppings.
  Note that attempts to scare away birds with the help of special devices and mock-ups simulating predatory species, the desired effect turned out to be short-lived. A few weeks later, the birds became accustomed to repellents and ceased to notice them.

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Actual articles

Birds will not suffer, and people can stay without light. Birds are called the main cause of complications in the operation of substations. Almost 90% of US network enterprises have been considered.

The survey was conducted by IEEE. So in America is called the Institute of Electrical Engineering and Electronics. Similar surveys were conducted in, in particular, by scientists from Moscow State University. Domestic spices additionally examined 10 kilometers of power lines in the Taldom region.

Conclusion of scientists: - Massive bird sitting on wires with subsequent simultaneous take-off leads to swaying of lines, their whipping and, as a result, interphase faults. often do not suffer. Why?

The laws of physics and birds on wires

To understand the “impunity” of birds on wires, you need to recall Ohm's law:

1. Its first part reads: - The current strength in the conductor is directly proportional to the voltage at its ends. That is, the indicator depends on the potential difference. Sitting on a cable, the bird as if shunts it, that is, it connects the points of the power supply circuit. These points are the hitch with the paws. The feathered bird takes up the wire with both limbs, moreover, at a short distance. Accordingly, the potential difference is small. Here why birds do not electric shock on wires.
2. The second part of Ohm's law states: - the current strength is inversely proportional to the resistance of the conductor. The rate between metals is high. But the resistance between the wire and the bird is small. A stream of electrons passes through the feathered body, rushing further along the chain. The voltage difference between the cable and the bird does not occur, since the animal clings to one wire without touching the ground. Toku has nowhere to go except for the bird.

Sitting on a power line, the animal is not a consumer of energy, but a conductor, adopting a fixed charge. So it turns out that there is no voltage difference between the bird and the cable.

In what cases can birds on wires be shocked?

Why birds do not shock wireswhen they beat, some ask the answer to those who wonder at the resistance of birds to current. Physicists from Moscow State University, for example, while examining power lines in the Taldom district of Moscow Region, found 150 dead animals in 10 kilometers of lines examined. How did they die if they did not create a voltage and voltage difference with the wires?

The answers lie all in the same Ohm's law and other rules of physics. So:

• the distance between the paws of a bird that has perched on a cable is minimal if it is a sparrow, but large birds place their limbs farther apart, thereby increasing the potential difference
• the bird takes over the voltage of the cable on which it sits, and runs the risk of dying by hitting the adjacent wire with a different voltage, which is possible when swinging in the wind, close to the lines
• birds pollute the wooden poles of power lines with droppings, which leads to leakage of currents and the burning of poles, on which birds sometimes make nests
• there is a risk of the animal landing on a section of wire where the insulation is damaged

Given the risks to the life of birds and possible malfunctions on the lines through their fault, scientists came up with schemes to repel animals from power lines. The most effective is the installation of a repellent wire inside the metal support of the power line.

The cable is integrated in isolation from the so-called support body. In the wire - directional voltage. It is aimed at birds, not deadly, but unpleasant. Feeling this, the birds are removed from the cables, flying away.

What forces birds to sit on wires

To sit on the wires, despite the risks, the instinct makes the birds:

1. Most birds feel safer in the air. Therefore, animals try to search for rest or to track the prey of the hill.
2. If the only hill in the surrounding landscape is a power line, they are preferable to land.

The same goes for building nests. Most birds equip them at a height. When there are no other elevations other than the power transmission towers, they settle on them.

Have you ever wondered why birds on wires are not shocked? In childhood, we were always told to stay away from electrical wires. It was forbidden to put fingers in the socket and so on. But why do not birds that sit on high-voltage wires be shocked?

Electricity can be very dangerous. The current reaching the human heart in just a few seconds is enough to interrupt his natural rhythm. Among other things, current can cause serious problems in the functioning of other organs of the body. However, if high-voltage cables are so dangerous, why do not the birds be shocked when they are sitting on wires? It is all about the special nature of the movement of current.

Electricity is lazy

The bottom line is that electricity is incredibly lazy - it always takes the easiest way to move. In physics, we say that electricity (or current) moves from the point of highest potential to the point of lowest potential. That is why birds are not shocked when they are sitting on wires. One can imagine how electricity passes through an object, comparing its movements with a ball throw from a mountain. The ball will always fall down. The ball will never fly up the mountain. The ends of the wires have different potentials, so electricity moves through the wire.

Since both paws of the bird are on the same wire, there is no difference in potential between them (imagine a bird as a plateau, where the ball will neither fall nor descend from the mountain). Electricity is too lazy to pass through the bird: it simply prefers to continue moving along the wire. Actually, that’s the whole secret why birds aren’t shocked by wires.

Case Study

Imagine if you needed to go to your local store to buy bread and milk. You can choose one of two possible routes: along a good level path or through a muddy swamp. Most likely, you will choose a pedestrian path, because walking on it is much easier. This is what electricity does, it moves along the simplest path, which we call the path of least resistance. Engineers specifically design wires so that electricity moves easily through them.

On the other hand, our bodies and the bodies of birds show great resistance to the electricity coming down them. Therefore, electricity will predominantly continue to move down the wire, since this is an easier way for it than going through a bird. It is for these reasons that our feathered friends can happily sit on power lines without turning into grilled chicken.

Why does not the bird be shocked by wires: there is one thing but!

What if we want electric shocks? What if we imagine ourselves as some kind of cruel superhero who wants to destroy all the birds? What can we do to get them to get an electric shock from sitting on the wire? Well, we could make a big contribution to the potential between the bird and the wire. There are two easy ways to do this. Firstly, we could make the bird touch one of the other power cables passing nearby (power cables usually work with different potentials, so if the bird touched two wires at the same time, electricity would pass through it).

We could also establish a connection between the bird and the earth. The potential of the earth is different from the potential of the power cable, so electricity will pass from the cable to the ground through the bird. That is why it is very important for people not to touch the power cables.

Now we, knowing why birds are not shocked by wires, can teach a person, touching high-voltage cables, not to get hit: it remains only to learn how to balance on wires, like a bird.

I wonder how workers repair electrical wires without getting an electric shock. The fact is that the clothes and equipment of electricians are made of insulating materials. Insulation materials, such as rubber, are low conductivity materials. Another method is helicopter operations. Since neither the worker nor the helicopter is connected to the ground, the worker can safely work with the cable. However, even despite the fact that safety continues to improve every day, the profession of an electrician is still one of the most dangerous. Ah, what a pity that we are not birds, what a pity that we do not fly!

Finally

The reason why the birds are not electrocuted on the wires is because both legs of the bird have the same potential, so electricity does not pass through them. Secondly, the bird provides greater resistance to electricity passing through it than the power cable, so electricity will pass through the power cable. Until the birds touch something else, such as the ground or another cable, they will continue to sit there, watching us from above. So, now you know why birds are not shocked by wires. As you can see, physics can be very interesting and informative!