For over one hundred years electrical power has been transmitted over
heavy steel and aluminum wire. This 19th century technology, Aluminum
Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR), has been used in the vast majority
(over 80%) of electric transmission lines. In 2001, CTC Cable Corporation
began an intensive effort to improve conductor technology beyond that
achieved by ACSR and bring electrical transmission into the 21st century.
In 2004, this effort met with success with the introduction of the ACCC®
conductor. ACCC® conductor offers superior performance and
longevity compared to any other conductor type; a superior alternative
that combines more aluminum and higher temperature capability.
Built on the highly evolved foundation of aerospace proven carbon fiber
hybrid composites, the ACCC® conductor utilizes a
high-strength, light-weight and dimensionally stable, single strand,
composite core that is wrapped with trapezoidal shaped aluminum strands.
The ACCC® conductor offers greater performance and capacity
compared to conventional conductors of the same diameter and weight.
ACCC® conductor's hybrid composite core resists degradation
from vibration, corrosion, ultraviolet radiation, corona, chemical and
thermal oxidation and, most importantly, cyclic load fatigue. Keeping in
mind that that primary objective of the development of hybrid carbon
composites in the aerospace community was to increase both the performance
and longevity of airframes and key structural components, it is noteworthy
that those objectives were shared by CTC Cable during the development and
deployment of ACCC® conductor. A conductor, during its
anticipated service life of several decades, sees a constant change in
temperature, tension, and wind-induced Aeolian vibration. While the ACCC®
conductor offers several advantages over other conductor types, its
primary technical attributes are improved.
