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Discussing About LV And HV Electrical Cables
Figure 2 - In high-voltage cables the insulating material makes up a greater fraction of the total cross-sectional area than the conductor
material
Space is really a critical criterion when discussing electrical cables and wires. In a low-voltage (LV) plastic-
sheathed cable with conductor cross-sections of up to 10 mm2 per conductor or in high-voltage (HV) cables
(Figure 2), the lions share of the cross-sectional area is occupied by the insulating material.
If aluminium rather than copper is used as the conductor material, the additional cross-sectional area required is
more or less negligible in comparison.
Left: Figure 3 - Mineral-insulated cables; Right: Figure 4 - The structure of fireproof plastic-coated cable and mineral-insulated cable
At least that is the situation for conventional plastic-coated cables. Mineral-insulated cables and wires (Figure 3)
are not only absolutely fireproof, they also take up much less space (Figure 4) than conventional plastic-sheathed
cables.
For a time, these mineral-insulated cables were even equipped with an aluminium sheath, but this never became
established and copper sheathing remains the norm.
And in most European countries, copper is still used predominantly, if not exclusively, for electrical installation
work in buildings.
So why is it that most European standards do not permit the use of aluminium conductors with cross-sections up
to 16 mm
2
(or in some cases) up to 10 mm
2
?
There are three main reasons:
1 Although aluminium is quite ductile, it is not as ductile as copper. The ends of stif wires laid in walls e.g. as
connections to flush-mounted sockets or wall outlets tend to break after being repeatedly bent back and forth.
This can be problematic if the imminent fracture point is located inside the insulating sheath and if the wire
continues to be used. In such cases the fault can remain undetected until the wire has to carry a sizeable current
(that is one close to its rated maximum current) and although it could be years before this situation arises, when it
does, the conductor material will melt at the fracture point and sustained arcing can occur.
Aluminium also tends to form these local constrictions more readily than copper and as it has a lower melting
point and a lower coeficient of thermal conductivity than copper, this sort of local melting will occur more readily in
wires and cables with aluminium conductors.
In the worst case, this can cause the aluminium to catch fire and burn like a fuse wire.
2 When exposed to air, the surface of aluminium rapidly becomes covered by a hard, durable oxide layer that
does not conduct electricity, thus making it harder to ensure electrical contact. The build up of oxide at points
where aluminium wires are terminated or connected, can increase the local electrical resistance of the conductor.
The increased resistance can cause elevated temperatures with the risk of heat damage to the insulating
materials and possibly fire.
Copper also undergoes oxidation when exposed to air, but perhaps surprisingly, the oxide layer does not inhibit
electrical contact, even though the copper oxides (CuO and Cu
2
O) have conductivities some 13 orders of
magnitude less than elementary copper and can therefore hardly be described as electrical conductors.
3 Aluminium has a propensity to undergo slow material creep. When subjected to high pressures, the material will
yield over time. One result of this is that originally tight connections may gradually become loose.
Connection technology is available that can deal with this problem and it is worth investing the extra cost and ef
ort involved for installations involving relatively few connection points (e.g. HV overhead transmission lines), but
not for more complex branched networks such as those found inside buildings.
Top
Concluding
Because of the second of the three problems listed above, connections involving the ends of aluminium
conductors should always be made as tight screw-fastened contacts.
Unfortunately, the third problem discussed above means that these joints are often not permanent. Spring con
tacts can be helpful, but they tend to suf er from the problems associated with the insulating aluminium oxide
layers. In both cases, the result is a slow rise in the contact resistance at the connection point and thus to an
increased risk of fire.
Grandfathering regulations continue to protect older aluminium installations in Eastern Germany and in most
countries in Eastern Europe, but the only real protection being provided by this sort of regulation is protection
from the threat of improvement!
Fortunately, methods are now available for ensuring proper electrical contact between these older protected
installations and newer electrical systems. These connectors combine spring-loaded contacts with a special
contact paste made from grease and sharp metal particles.
When the connection is made the particles penetrate the existing aluminium oxide layer while the grease
protects the contact area from renewed corrosion.
Figure 6 - Only in low-voltage high-current cables does the conductor material make up most of the cable's
total cross-sectional area
Copper is also the preferred conductor material in high-voltage cables. Although the use of aluminium would
result in only a slight increase in the overall conductor cross section, the insulating materials and the exterior
shielding required for HV cables are expensive and the greater total cross-sectional area of the cable would
cancel out the savings made by using the cheaper conductor material in contrast to the situation with low-
voltage power cables (Figure 6).
It is also worth remembering that the cable shielding is always made from copper, because it is the only
material suitable for the job.
If aluminium is chosen as the conductor material, then processing the scrap cable at the end of its (admittedly
long) service life will involve the additional step of separating the two materials.
As a material, pure copper has a practically inifnite lifetime. It can be reprocessed an indefinite number of times
without sufering any loss of quality.
About 45 % of the copper required today is generated from scrap, and the products for which it is used (cables,
transformers, water pipes or rooi ng) will remain in use for a long time, on average around forty years. However,
forty years ago, the demand for copper was only about half of what it is today.
It follows that about 90 % of the copper used at that time is still in use today. This applies equally to aluminium
and other metals. Metals are not consumed, they are used.
SOURCE: Practical applications of electrical conductors Stefan Fassbinder