Effects of Electric Spark Discharges on Drone Components in Close Proximity to High-Voltage Power Lines and a Mitigation Method for Shielding-Free Designs

Drones have recently become a widely used alternative to helicopters and cranes for high-voltage transmission line inspection and maintenance, offering improved safety and reduced costs. In order to operate on an energized high-voltage line, drones must be protected from electric sparks when making contact with the line. However, certain drone components remain susceptible to EMI noise even when protected by metal shields. This paper introduces a lab setup to measure spark noise from a 100 kV-AC line on these components. A mitigation solution was proposed to reduce the spark currents to a level where the shield is unnecessary. Flight tests were conducted in the lab under various voltage conditions (up to 350 kV AC with a tubular conductor and 500 kV AC at the transformer terminal) to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed solution and to evaluate the performance of drones with different sizes and shielding methods.