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04-02-2020, 08:51 PM
11

Re: Shortage of Copper

I wouldn't worry,. With everyone charging their cars and electrocuting themselves by installing their own electric boilers, there won't be much electric about anyway. We will probably end up importing it from China.
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04-02-2020, 09:32 PM
12

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by Besoeker ->
I post on a US electrical forum. They tend to favour aluminium for cabling. It isn't as good a conductor, lower conductivity, but it evidently cheaper for them.

We put high current (40kA) rectifiers in an anodising plant here. The bars feeding the tanks were aluminium, I assume on cost grounds.
Apparently Aluminium is a better conductor than copper, but due to its problem with oxidization and co efficient qualities it's not suitable for cabling.

The estate where I live has just had all the roads dug up to remove the old oxidized Aluminium cables and replace them with copper ones. Power was failing in one house after the other before they decided to replace the lot.

The trouble was that the streets were supplied by a three phase supply, alternating from one house to the other. When the power failed it was drawing power from one of the other phases and damaging some appliances due to the surge. Perhaps it was the neutral side that failed...
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05-02-2020, 05:18 AM
13

Re: Shortage of Copper

We have regular thefts of copper over here, often from air residential air conditioners and communication wire. The brain surgeons usually try to sell it to local recycling companies and are usually caught. Every few months one will electrocute himself and make the news.

Here on the coast, there's just no substitution for copper given all the oxidation issues.
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05-02-2020, 10:03 AM
14

Re: Shortage of Copper

Aluminium conductors are a bugger, impossible to solder.

Some Chinese products use aluminium in the power cable.
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05-02-2020, 11:09 AM
15

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by Surfermom ->
We have regular thefts of copper over here, often from air residential air conditioners and communication wire. The brain surgeons usually try to sell it to local recycling companies and are usually caught. Every few months one will electrocute himself and make the news.

Here on the coast, there's just no substitution for copper given all the oxidation issues.
Same problem here Surfermom, signaling and control cables on the railway being one of the main targets, putting the safety of passengers at risk. Trains have had to be cancelled in some areas.

I'm actually working on a project that will make copper transmission lines a thing of the past, by replacing them with a relatively cheap and efficient alternative...
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05-02-2020, 11:44 AM
16

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
Apparently Aluminium is a better conductor than copper, but due to its problem with oxidization and co efficient qualities it's not suitable for cabling..
It isn't as good as copper by some margin. The The cable tables in BS7671, "The Regs" give the different ratings for Cu and Al.
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05-02-2020, 06:25 PM
17

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by Besoeker ->
It isn't as good as copper by some margin. The The cable tables in BS7671, "The Regs" give the different ratings for Cu and Al.
I didn't believe it myself Besoeker until I saw the answer to a question on the chase where the contestant was asked which metal was the best conductor of electricity? And the three possible answers were Silver, Gold or Aluminium...
The answer turned out to be Aluminium....

Aluminum wire is the most common metal in electric power transmission and distribution. Although only 61% of the conductivity of copper by cross-sectional area, its lower density makes it twice as conductive by mass. As aluminum is roughly one-third the cost of copper by weight, the economic advantages are considerable when large conductors are required.
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05-02-2020, 07:47 PM
18

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
I didn't believe it myself Besoeker until I saw the answer to a question on the chase where the contestant was asked which metal was the best conductor of electricity? And the three possible answers were Silver, Gold or Aluminium...
The answer turned out to be Aluminium....
But Cu is better than Al. Check BS7671.
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05-02-2020, 08:13 PM
19

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
I didn't believe it myself Besoeker until I saw the answer to a question on the chase where the contestant was asked which metal was the best conductor of electricity? And the three possible answers were Silver, Gold or Aluminium...
The answer turned out to be Aluminium....

Aluminum wire is the most common metal in electric power transmission and distribution. Although only 61% of the conductivity of copper by cross-sectional area, its lower density makes it twice as conductive by mass. As aluminum is roughly one-third the cost of copper by weight, the economic advantages are considerable when large conductors are required.
Where does platinum come on the scale OGF? or does its cost
disqualify it??
Donkeyman!
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05-02-2020, 10:01 PM
20

Re: Shortage of Copper

Originally Posted by Besoeker ->
But Cu is better than Al. Check BS7671.
My apologies Besoeker, I must be mixing up Aluminium with Silver. As for platinum Donkeyman it comes way down the list of conductivity.....And here is the list......

 
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