IEEE T,P & C Subcommittee Meeting - January 9th, 2007

ACCC Conductor Update

ACCC - The High Efficiency Conductor

Dave Bryant
Composite Technology Corporation
ACCC Conductor Description

• 28% More Aluminum – Means Greater Capacity, Reduced Line Losses, and Cooler Temperatures
• Greater Strength & Dimensional Stability – Means Fewer (and/or Lower) Structures on New Lines
• Lower Coefficient of Thermal Expansion – Means Less Sag at Higher Temperatures

The ACCC Conductor uses a carbon fiber core that is 25% stronger and 60% lighter
than a traditional steel core. This allows - with the help of trapezoidal shaped strands -
the ability to increase the conductor’s aluminum content by over 28%
without increasing the conductor’s overall diameter or weight.
Sag and Temperature Comparison

2000
ACSR
1800

1600
1400
Cable Sag (mm)

1200

1000
800 Other HTLS Conductors
600
ACCC
400

200

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260
Tem perature (C)

Based on Drake size conductors tested at 1600 amps on 225 foot span
Performance Comparison

+7 MW

Other
Other

+24 MW

Other
Other

Comparison based on a 75 mile line at 200 kV w/ 25OC ambient air & 2 fps wind speed

*** These figures (in this scenario) represent a 25% reduction in line losses
The Path to Deployment

1. Physical Characteristics of the Composite Core

2. Electrical Properties of the Conductor
3. Hardware and Systems Performance
4. Environmental Exposure and Longevity
5. Installation Methods
6. Field Trials
7. Deployment
Core Characteristics

Physical and Mechanical Testing of the core included:

• Tensile Strength
• Flexural Strength
• Shear Strength
• Torsional Ductility
• Impact Resistance
• Notched Degradation
• Moisture Resistance
• Heat Resistance
• Oxidation Resistance
• Acid Resistance
• Brittle Fracture Resistance
• UV Resistance
• CTE
• Salt Fog
• R/T – H/T Creep
• Hot Water Immersion
Brittle Fracture Resistance

Boron Free Glass Fibers Fibers Containing Boron

Test performed under 10,000 # load

(early prototype samples)
Thermal Resistance

Test performed under 10,000 # load

(early prototype samples)

36 weeks = 6,000 hours

Ice Load Testing

Test performed under 10,000 # load

Electrical Testing

• Resistivity
• Power Loss
• Ampacity
• EMF
• Impedance
• Corona
• Radio Noise
• Short Circuit
• Lightning Strike
Hardware and Systems Testing

Hardware and Systems Testing:

• Aeolian Vibration
• High Temperature Sag
• High Temperature Sustained Load
• Creep
• Galloping
• Self Damping
• Impact
• Turning Angle
• Torsion
• Sheave
• Ultimate Strength
• Thermo-Mechanical
• Combined Cyclic Load Testing
Environmental Testing and Monitoring

***Characteristics being monitored:

• Ambient Temperature
• Tension, Sag, and clearance
• Conductor Temperature
• Electrical Current
• Wind Speed and Direction
• Solar Radiation
• Rainfall
• Ice buildup
• Splice Resistance
• Infrared Measurements
• Corona Observations
ACCC Lines being monitored by: • Electric and Magnetic Fields
• National Grid (Niagara Falls, New York)
• EPRI HTLS Conductor Study Group (at APS)
• WAPA (Phoenix, AZ)
• PacifiCorp (Salt Lake City)
• State Grid China (Beijing and Shanghai)
• RTE / EDF France (Minerve and Renardieres) *** Note: Not all things
being monitored at all sites
Typhoon Test
On-Line Test Reports
Installation Methods

Klein Grips, Chicago Grips, Kellams, Socks, and Pre-Forms have all
been employed successfully in over two dozen installations with spans
of over 2,500 feet.

Clamp used to prevent the core from slipping for pulls over 1,000 ft (“bug”)
Installation Equipment

Conventional Bull-wheels, sheaves, and take-up reels are used in both

transmission and distribution applications.
Hardware Components - deadends

Eyebolt

Collet

Collet Housing

Dead-ends and splices are installed using conventional compression dies

Hardware Components - splice

Eyebolt

Collet Housing
Installation Recommendations

• Grounding wires must be properly utilized and placed

• Recommended sheave wheels should be employed

• Mandrel axels should be properly matched to reel arbor holes

• Let-off brakes should be set to maintain proper back tension

• Bull-wheels should be set back at a 3:1 distance from the1st pole

• Sheaves and bull-wheels should be in good alignment

• Soft aluminum outer strands should not be scuffed during install

• Crew members should be properly trained to stay off the wires

Things to Avoid
Installation Experience

1. EPRI (1) – Haslett, TX

2. National Grid (1) – Niagara Falls, NY
3. Austin Energy (1) – Austin, TX
4. APS (1) – Phoenix, AZ
5. City of Holland (1) – Holland, MI
6. Xcel Energy (1) – Denver, CO
7. City of Kingman (1) – Kingman, KS
8. EDF (1) – Renardieres, France
9. Kingman (FEMA) (2) – Kingman, KS
10. PacifiCorp (1) – Salt Lake City, UT
11. WAPA (1) – Phoenix, AZ
12. AEP (1) – San Antonio, TX
13. State Grid (1) – Shanghai, China
14. State Grid (2) – Beijing, China
15. Lioaning Electric (1) – Lioyang, China
16. State Grid (3) – Shenhzen, China
17. Fujian Power (1) – Longyan, China
18. Kingman (3) – Kingman, KS
19. State Grid (4) – Wuxi, China
20. Fujian Power (2) – Xaiman, China
21. RTE / EDF (2) – Minerve, France
22. State Grid (5) – North West, China
23. Fujian Power (3) – Nam Ping, China
24. Puzin Power (1) – Puzin, China
25. AEP (2) – Rogers, AR
26. AEP (3) – Rogers, AR*
27. KAMO (1) – Springfield, MO*
28. AEP (4) – Abelinene, TX*

07
29. Mohave Electric (1) – Bullhead City, AZ*

20
30. Fujian Power (4) – Fuzhou, China*

1-
*Q
31. Fujian Power (5) – Fujian, China*
32. PacifiCorp (2) – Salt Lake City*
Quality Assurance * ISO 9001-2000 Certified
Performance Summary

• Enables an increase in throughput on existing lines by simply re-conductoring

• Reduces line losses – delivers more power using less energy

• Using less energy potentially reduces generation requirements and may lower emissions

• Can be used on a new line to reduce cap-ex costs and improve throughput economics

• Higher strength and lower CTE reduces risks associated with high temperature sag

• Operates cooler than other conductor types but maintains high temperature capacity

• Extensively tested in the lab (132 documents currently available on website)

• Growing list of field experience with over two dozen installations completed

• Installation is very similar to ACSS (softer annealed aluminum needs slightly extra care)

• Economically advantageous solution for constrained lines as well as for new installations
Thank You!