ACCC® News - September 2023

Why the ACCC® Conductor is the Technology of Choice for a Wide Range of Project Types

The ACCC® Conductor’s high strength, light weight, and thermally stable composite core – in conjunction with its added aluminum content (~28% more) with no diameter or weight penalty (in any given size) make it ideally suited for a number of transmission and sub-transmission projects in voltages ranging from 11 to 1,100 kV.

These include Reconductoring, New Lines, Long Span Applications, Highly Corrosive Environments, Reliability / Resilience and Grid Hardening Projects, and more.

While it’s not too surprising that many utilities still rely on 100 year old conductor technology, and incentive issues still need to be addressed in policy forums, CTC Global’s efforts have led to the successful completion of over 1,100 ACCC® Conductor projects in 65 countries. Read the full article here

The BIG WIRES ACT

In response to a need to improve inter-regional transmission in the United States, Senator John Hickenlooper and Representative Scott Peters proposed The BIG WIRES Act. The goal is to be able to transfer 30% of a region’s capacity by building new transmission lines and upgrading existing facilities; Utilize grid-enhancing technologies such as advanced power flow controls or dynamic line ratings (and Advanced Conductors); Encourage energy efficiency to reduce peak demand and; Develop new generation or storage that frees up capability to move power.

The regions themselves are responsible for deciding who builds and pays for any new transmission lines. The bill does not apply to the Texas Interconnect, except at the discretion of its grid operator.

Benefits:

• Improve Reliability: Instituting a new minimum-transfer requirement would increase reliability by allowing for greater power flows between regions. This adds a layer of defense against extreme events like Winter Storm Elliott, which in 2022 left hundreds of thousands of Americans in the dark even as nearby grids kept the lights on.

• Reduce Costs: The expanded transfer capabilities would dramatically lower energy prices for Americans. Department of Energy National Lab research finds hundreds of millions of dollars per transmission line per year in savings available across the country.

• Relieve Grid Congestion: Relieving grid congestion provides significant benefits. Congestion can force coal and nuclear plants to sell electricity at a loss (even negative prices) because they cannot ramp down quickly enough.

The legislation presents a win-win scenario: energy-rich communities benefit from their natural resources – fossil, renewable, and nuclear – and American families and businesses see fewer grid outages while energy bills go down. Everyone benefits from a more affordable, reliable, and resilient grid.

J.D. Sitton, CTC Global's CEO stated: “CTC Global thanks Senator Hickenlooper and Representative Peters for the BIG WIRES Act. The Act would facilitate the deployment of advanced transmission conductors to increase transfer capacity between regions of the U.S. electric grid. The ability of advanced conductors to transmit twice the electricity of legacy conductors while using the existing transmission structures makes Advanced Conductor deployment the fastest and least expensive way to expand our nation’s grid and facilitate the transition to a clean energy future. We look forward to working together to continue to promote this critical technology.”

Why ASTM Standard B-987-20 is Important for all Advanced Carbon Core Conductors

To protect businesses and the public, standards and test protocols are frequently developed to help ensure that products and product replications perform as intended and are produced consistently. ASTM International (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials), is an international standards organization that develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services for virtually every industry. Currently 12,575 ASTM Standards exist to protect Consumers and ensure product quality and consistency.

ASTM Standard B-987-20 “Standard Specification for Carbon Fiber Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composite Core (CFC) for use in Overhead Electrical Conductors” offers a plethora of performance and test protocols that are critical to the performance, integrity and longevity of carbon fiber cores used in overhead electrical conductors that must perform reliably in extremely harsh environmental conditions for decades.

One of the most important components of ASTM B-987-20 is the requirement for a non-conductive galvanic barrier with a minimum thickness specification to prevent galvanic corrosion over the conductor’s anticipated 40+ year service life – as corrosion is one of the leading causes of premature conductor failure – that can lead to broken conductors, power outages, wildfires, and other tragic outcomes.

While corrosion of aluminum and steel used in legacy ACSR conductors will occur in wet conditions, which can be exacerbated by salt air, industrial or agricultural pollutants, galvanic corrosion can also occur. Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially (and at an accelerated rate) when in contact with a different type of metal in the presence of an electrolyte, such as water. While steel core wires are often coated with zinc to reduce the rate of galvanic corrosion between the conductor’s core and aluminum strands, the risk of galvanic corrosion with carbon fiber cores is far greater due to their substantial difference in electrode potential.

“Carbon fiber and aluminum cannot be allowed to make direct physical contact when water or other electrolyte may be present”

If you are considering carbon fiber core conductors, please be advised that adherence to the established ASTM B-987-20 Standard – and especially its requirement for a robust non-conductive galvanic barrier – can mean the difference between a conductor that lasts many decades in use or one that fails prematurely. If you have any questions, please contact news@ctcglobal.com

CTC Global was pleased to host several visitors from Indonesia’s #1 Utility PT PLN

During their visit CTC staff members and management team covered aspects ranging from ACCC® Installation and Maintenance techniques to performance attributes compared to other competing technologies. The team demonstrated CTC Global’s ACCC InfoCore® System which can be used before, during and after ACCC® Conductor installations to check core integrity and confirm successful installations. The PLN visitors, accompanied by a Director from CTC Global's local Agent Dinamika, also enjoyed tours of our core manufacturing center, hardware production facility, and our ISO/IEC 17025 certified testing laboratory. As always, CTC Global’s team greatly appreciates hosting visitors and sharing knowledge. If you are interested in learning more, please drop a note to: info@ctcglobal.com 

ACCC® Conductor Efficiency Independently Certified

In a groundbreaking move, CTC Global introduced the ACCC InfoCore® System in 2020, which enables a quick, simple confirmation of conductor integrity during the installation process.

Three years later, The ACCC InfoCore® System has reached yet another level of evolution, changing the future of powerline technology.

Look for our official product release announcement on our social media channels soon!

Transmission Substation Design Operation Symposium

It was great to attend the Transmission Substation Design Operation Symposium (TSDOS), a forum for utilities and industry professionals to discuss trends, challenges, best practices, and solutions. CTC Global was represented by Oberlender and Associates and was visited by nearly 100 utility personnel representing transmission, substation, design, and standards.

CTC Global to Discuss Advanced Reconductoring and other GETs at WIRES TECH TALK Webinar

Please join WIRES and CTC Global's Dave Townley, Peter Brehm, and Dave Bryant on October 12th at 2:00pm eastern to listen to them discuss Advanced Reconductoring and other Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs).

• Discover the benefits, challenges, and opportunities in the widespread deployment of Advanced Conductors.

• Explore key drivers for increased adoption by utilities globally.

• Gain insights into current trends and future advancements in the industry.

Register Today: https://wiresgroup.com/wires-tech-talk-no-transition-without-transmission-advanced-reconductoring-other-gets/

The Economics of Efficiency

The chart below compares the differences in line loss reductions, generation capacity savings and emission reductions between ACCC® and ACSR / ACSS under two load scenarios. Please take a look.

ACCC^® Hardware is the Very Best!

ACCC Conductor Hardware Data Base Link