Study of new mid-pole bonding mitigation system to wooden pole ladder network model to address pole-top fire issue

This thesis presents an original study of pole-top fire in electrical distribution networks by using the ladder network model. A new mid-pole bonding mitigation method has been proposed and developed in this research to overcome the pole-top fire issue. A complete wooden pole model with cross-arm has been developed for further investigation of pole-top fire. Leakage current concentration at the wood-bolt insertion is demonstrated by significant information about radial current distribution along wooden pole structures. Replacing wood with steel cross-arm was unsuccessful in decreasing the fire-prone risk. On the other hand, Ross shunting methods depict a similar result and caused higher current concentration on the king bolt insertion compared to wood and steel cross-arm. A time-lapsed thermographic study on wood and steel cross-arms with poles has shown that the temperatures that developed on the king bolts were almost similar for both materials. The application of a mid-pole bonding system on a wooden pole structure proved successful in reducing the pole-top fire risk by at least 50%. The mid-pole bonding system offers better performance compared to the current method. This new system will provide a better solution for the pole-top fire problem.