Focus on the "Al-copper" Phenomenon in Wire and Cable Industry

Because copper has better electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity than aluminum, and less loss of electrical energy when delivering current, it has been recognized as the preferred material for wire and cable. However, our country is rich in aluminum and copper resources are scarce, in recent years, copper prices rose too fast, the feasibility of aluminum substitute copper has become a hot spot in the industry, it has repeatedly led to different views of the controversy.

The small and medium-sized motor industry associations opposed the use of aluminum as the enameled wire and believed that the use of aluminum instead of copper in small and medium-sized motors is not feasible. It is a technical retrogression that violates the national industrial policy. Some people in the wire and cable manufacturing industry are screaming that the price of copper is ridiculously high and they are using energy-saving as an excuse to resist the use of aluminum-core cables. In fact, replacing copper with aluminum is an established technology policy in China. In the cable standards, copper and aluminum are clearly defined as power cable conductors. However, the promotion of aluminum-to-copper conductors for power cable conductors is actually very slow.

'This is a big misunderstanding. There are many links for energy saving and energy saving, and reducing line losses is not just a conductor problem. There are other reasons for transmission and distribution equipment and equipment. Zhang Guanglie, general manager of the Beijing Beiji Electromechanical Technology Development Center, told reporters, 'From the point of view of international development, both Europe and the United States and Japan are promoting the use of aluminum-core power cables. Presented with aluminum core power cable. '

In the interview, the reporter learned that under the current situation of high copper prices and the unbearable situation of cable companies, the promotion of copper-clad aluminum conductors has begun to break. Experts predict that copper-clad aluminum conductor cables will be rapidly promoted. The two new products of the Xingle Group's "Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) and Copper Composite Conductor Wire and Cable" passed the appraisal, and the signing of an order of 10 million yuan is a good example.

The chairman of Xingle Group told the reporter: 'The price of copper has gone so far that it has far exceeded the enterprise's ability to bear. A few years ago, we were developing copper clad aluminum, hoping to find a way out of the bottleneck of cable raw materials without reducing the performance of the cable. Copper clad aluminum technology is feasible. 'The identification results show that the cost of this product is reduced by 20% to 40% compared with similar products of copper conductors. And the proportion of small, easy processing, easy installation, transmission performance.

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China's cable industry, "aluminum substitute copper" is a general trend

China lacks copper and copper prices have skyrocketed. Currently, China's cable industry has become a “hot spot” with “aluminum section copper”. Academician Huang Chongji of the Shanghai Cable Research Institute pointed out in his recent article “On the aluminum section of copper in China’s cable industry” that in China’s cable industry, “aluminum section copper” has become a general trend because it has a significant impact on cable products. Costs and profits, plus China's lack of copper, but to what extent the development of aluminum section copper, there must be technical and economic feasibility and supply and demand both sides to identify.

In 2006, the amount of copper and aluminum conductors used in China's electrical appliances reached 354 and 1.07 million tons, respectively. The conductors involved in copper wire and cable use include electrical aluminum and aluminum alloy wire, copper-clad aluminum wire, copper-clad steel wire, and thin aluminum wire. And copper clad aluminum row. In 2006, the total amount of copper clad aluminum wire used in China was about 50,000 tons, of which mainly used for communication cables. The amount of aluminum used in other wire and cable accounts for only about 20% of the total amount of aluminum conductors. In particular, the number of aluminum power cables instead of copper power cables is not much, and there is no obvious replacement trend.

Academician Huang Chongji particularly pointed out that what we now call “aluminum section copper” is by no means the policy of “aluminium substitutes for copper” advocated in the 1960s and 1970s, because copper was listed as a defense material at that time, and foreign blockades were difficult Importation, but now the implication is that where copper must be used, or copper is to be used, and where copper is also available, aluminum is required for scientific demonstration and practical application. Aluminum can be used for aluminum.

Objectively Treating the Phenomenon of "Aluminum Replaces Copper" in Wire and Cable

For the wire and cable industry, the most obvious material substitution is to use aluminum conductors instead of copper conductors. When conducting the relative costs of copper and aluminum conductors, it is necessary to consider factors such as price, specific gravity, and conductivity in order to determine whether the use of aluminum conductors is a true answer to cost savings. Copper is heavier than aluminum. The specific gravity of copper is 8.9 g.cm3, and the specific gravity of aluminum is 2.7 g/cm3. That is, in the case of the same conductor size, the weight of the copper conductor is 3.3 times that of the aluminum conductor. However, the conductivity of aluminum is only 61% of that of copper, that is, in the case of the same transmission current, the cross section of the aluminum conductor is 61% larger than that of the copper conductor. Therefore, in terms of the weight of the conductor, to make the two conductors have the same current carrying capacity, the weight of the copper conductor required is about twice that of the aluminum conductor. In addition, the price ratio of copper to aluminum is about 3.5, so the cost of the equivalent copper conductor is 7 times that of the aluminum conductor.

Of course, the simple cost comparison described above does not explain all the problems. Since the cable product is a product with a standard conductor size limit, it is impossible to purchase an aluminum core cable whose conductivity is exactly equal to that of the copper core cable. Therefore, if you use aluminum conductors to make cables, you must use larger aluminum conductors. Experience has shown that in the case of equal current carrying capacity, the conductor cross section of the aluminum core cable should be twice that of the copper core conductor. Since the cross section of the aluminum core cable conductor is twice that of the copper core conductor, the subsequent increase in the insulation, sheathing, and armoring of the aluminum core cable weakens the price advantage of using the aluminum conductor. This means that the price advantage of aluminum and copper is not significant, because the conductor is only a small part of the cost of the entire cable.

Taking a 70mm2 copper core cable as an example, the cost of the copper conductor accounts for about 65% of the total cable cost, while the 120mm2 aluminum core cable with the same ampacity cost can save 23.5%. If the cost of the copper conductor accounts for 80% of the total cable cost, then the cost savings of the aluminum core cable with equal current carrying capacity can reach 46%. Only if the cost of the copper conductor in the cable falls below 50% of the total cable cost will the aluminum core cable lose its cost advantage. Now, the cost of most copper core low voltage cables and many medium voltage cable conductors has exceeded 50%. Therefore, compared with copper core power cables, the cost saving advantages of aluminum core power cables are quite obvious. Aluminium is a substitute for copper, and friends in the industry should pay attention to information on hundred wire and cable. Here, we will publish an overview of the wire and cable industry from time to time.