copper power line Vs Aluminium in a mining environment

[gokulkrish2]

Hi all,

We are a mining facility and have been using copper wire for our power lines till now.

Our mines are going deep and we are forced to go to longer spans and more heights. This leads us to choose for steel poles instead of wood.

Now, steel pole guys are saying that if we use aluminium wire instead of copper we can save a lot on poles has aluminium wire can have more span and hence less poles req.

Our question is that is there any disadvantages to use aluminium power cable instead of copper?

remember this is a mining environment and there is a lot of things changing every day. our superintendant is arguing that copper is more robust and apt for mining environment.

please advice

gokul

 

[TurbineGen]

What voltage are we talking about here? What is the temperature range in the mine? Aluminum has the potential to corrode internally in wet evironments and push right through the insulation.

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If it is broken, fix it. If it isn't broken, I'll soon fix that.

 

[gokulkrish2]

The voltage level is 7200V. Average temp round the year would be 85F but during summer it peaks and lies in the range of 100's..Its mostly dry out here in Arizona but rains during spring and early january...

We know that we could save a lot of money by choosing aluminium wire but we want to make sure that we dont cause other hazards by doing so.

Thanks for the reply and keep it coming

 

[TurbineGen]

I'm not an expert in the underground environments, but I'm assuming these are shielded cables suspended on poles? Or are these bare conductors? Will these at anytime be under water or run in conduit or a cable tray?

If the cables are simply suspended in the air between the poles I see no reason why you couldn't use Aluminum, except it can be a real pain to install.

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If it is broken, fix it. If it isn't broken, I'll soon fix that.

 

[waross]

Op[en pit, right?
How about aluminum for main distribution and copper for reusable branches.

Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[busbar]

With overhead or underground aluminum conductors, for reliability’s sake consider using hydraulic-compressed splices, taps and terminations. For insulated aluminum conductors, specify AA-8000 alloy material for its better handling of coldflow characteristics.