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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Intern Poster - Characterizing Wildland Fire Conditions for Lab-Scale Testing of Advanced Conductors

Conference ·
OSTI ID:2426941
As the demand for energy increases each year, electric utilities face the challenge of delivering more power than before. Current transmission/distribution networks have proved reliable in the past but are physically unable to meet higher energy demands. Traditional overhead conductor cables (such as Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR)) are limited in their ability to hold more voltage due to increased temperatures and resulting sag. When the cable sags, it comes closer to the ground, violating clearance standards and presenting an environmental risk. Newly developed advanced conductors, aluminum conductors with carbon fiber composite cores (instead of steel) mitigate this risk. Advanced conductors are engineered to perform in higher operating temperatures without sagging, thus possessing higher capacity potential. Regardless, utilities are hesitant to adopt this new technology due to scarcity of use data. The largest looming risk for utilities is wildland fires. There is little to no data on how advanced conductors perform in the event of a wildland fire. To address these concerns, this project aims to test the mechanical performance of advanced conductors in these conditions, providing utilities use data for their reference. The initial steps of the project will be to design and construct a fire table apparatus to reproduce wildland fire conditions, calculate proper parameters for this testing, and analyze the impact mathematically. After completing these actions, the next steps will be to test the advanced conductors in the laboratory fire chamber.
Research Organization:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
64
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
2426941
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-24-79673-Rev000
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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