Naveed Jabbar, A.M.I.E.E.E.

Use Aluminium Cables In Buildings & Industries

General

Aluminium conductor and cables are extensively used by utilities throughout the world for both
medium and low voltage applications, whereas buildings and industrial cabling has been
predominantly being done with copper conductors. The recent meteoritic rises in metal
especially copper prices have forced manufacturers and engineers in all sphere of industry to
look at alternative materials.

This paper investigates the use of aluminium conductor for industrial and building power
cabling, as on an average there is a potential of saving of around 50% of power cabling costs in
a project.

Price trends

Cable price comparison in Pakistan

Equivalent Ampacity table

Factors to be considered when using aluminium cabling:

a) Connectivity

Most accessories (lugs, ferrules, connectors etc) and electrical equipment (circuit breakers, fuse
holders, switches, etc) are generally designed for use with copper conductors. When using
aluminium conductors with such equipment, special bimetallic accessories (ferrules and lugs)
must be used to avoid the connection becoming loose and resulting in a high resistance
connection (or hot connection).

Picture-1

This looseness is caused by the different temperature coefficients of expansion between copper
and aluminium, (17x10E-6 vs 23x10E-6 respectively) that happens during heat cycling. On
cooling an aluminium conductor in a copper ferrule will contract more than the copper,
becoming loose and soon thereafter becoming hot connection before burning off. There has
been extensive experience of this and in some cases serious fires have been the result.

In addition the tools must be compatible with the crimping tool. When crimping aluminium
ferrules or lugs, deep indent crimping is preferable, in order to break the aluminium oxide layer
which will have formed on the conductor.

b) Electrical conductivity
Electrical conductivity of aluminium is 60% less than copper. Therefore for same
current rating an aluminium cable of conductor cross sectional area more than 60% as
compared to copper is required. This increases the overall diameter of the cable and requires
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larger raceway .On the other hand aluminium cable is half the weight of comparable rated
copper cable.

c) Dissimilar metals jointing

Wapda specifies and uses aluminium conductor cables for all of their LV cable requirements
i.e. from overhead conductor to meter, from transformer to meter breaker etc.

The problems reported are all at overhead joints.

No appreciable complaints have been observed at connections to meter or other locations.

d) Aluminium cables should not be used

-house wiring where the sizes 1.5 / 2.5 / 4 mmsq do not provide much saving and termination
with bimetallics etc is next to impossible.

-where vibration is present: connection to motors, generators, transformers

-damp locations, outside where corrosion can occur. The use of aluminium cable is to be
avoided in such locations as outdoor KIOSK substations, street lighting feeder pillars.

This weight advantage is the one major reason aluminium conductor is predominantly
used by utilities in overhead and underground transmission. The larger cross section area
automatically results in energy losses and voltage drops equal to copper.

Prices

The price of both copper & aluminium has greatly risen over the last few years. The price ratio
of Cu to Al is 3: 1 at present.

Chart-1

Following tables-1 shows the comparative price of equal cross section conductor power cables.

TABLE-1

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Next table shows comparative prices of equal ampacity cables. This shows that aluminium
conductor cable costs 40% less, if you add the larger raceway terminations, the price saving is
still around 50%.

Table -2

Energy

Cost of power cables in projects.

In a typical office building the cost of power cabling is around 10% of cost of electrical works.

By carefully substituting aluminium conductors in place of copper conductor 5% of cost of

electrical works can be saved.

In industrial projects depending upon its type this saving can be much higher.

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