Performance & Operation

Standard Installation and Maintenance

TS Conductor’s AECC is the only advanced conductor that is fully compatible with traditional ACSR/ACCC installation and maintenance practices, requiring no specialized training or equipment. The aluminum encapsulation layer acts as a protective cushion during compression fitting installation, achieving 100% compaction around the core and preventing moisture ingress. The pre-tensioned design allows for standard bending radius requirements (25 times the conductor's outer diameter), while the sealed nature eliminates special storage requirements, maintaining full mechanical and electrical properties even after extended storage.

TS Conductor’s AECC is the only advanced conductor that is fully compatible with traditional ACSR/ACCC installation and maintenance practices. While first-generation advanced conductors gained a reputation for being delicate, difficult to work with, and easy to break – requiring specialized training and equipment, TS Conductor has solved all of those problems with its patented design. Instead of demanding perfect installation technique, AECC is designed to be inherently robust and forgiving during installation and maintenance.

Standard Compression Fittings

The aluminum encapsulation layer is a key innovation that enables standard installation practices. During compression fitting installation, this layer acts as a protective cushion for the carbon composite core. When properly compressed, the fittings achieve 100% compaction around the core, creating an airtight seal that prevents moisture and oxygen ingress.

This design allows line crews to use their standard compression tools and dies – the same ones used for ACSR installation. There’s no need for specialized equipment or training. Whether installing deadends or splices, crews can follow their familiar procedures while achieving reliable connections.

Standard Bending Radius Requirements

AECC’s robustness stems from its pre-tensioned carbon core design. During manufacturing, the core is placed under tension before being encapsulated in aluminum, creating a stable composite structure. This pre-tensioning, combined with the encapsulation’s structural support, enables the conductor to resist compression stress during bending without experiencing core buckling or breakage.

The recommended minimum bending radius for AECC is 25 times the conductor’s outer diameter, matching IEEE 524 standards for traditional conductors. Importantly, this limitation comes from preventing birdcaging of the annealed aluminum strands rather than any core constraints. This means utilities can use their existing stringing blocks and equipment without modification.

Standard Storage Conditions

The sealed nature of AECC eliminates the special storage requirements that plague other advanced conductors. The aluminum encapsulation completely protects the carbon core from moisture ingress, which can compromise bare composite cores by softening their polymer matrix and reducing compressive strength – a process called plasticization.

This protection begins during manufacturing, where 100% X-ray inspection ensures encapsulation integrity, and continues throughout the conductor’s life. AECC can be stored in standard conditions for years without degradation, simplifying inventory management. The conductor maintains its full mechanical and electrical properties even after extended storage or exposure to challenging environmental conditions, ensuring reliable performance when needed.

Through these design innovations, AECC technology achieves advanced conductor performance while maintaining the practical installation and maintenance characteristics that utilities expect from traditional conductors. This combination of performance and practicality enables faster adoption and more reliable long-term operation.

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Technical Characteristics

Thermal Sag Behavior: Knee Points and Material Properties

Bi-component conductors, made with two different materials, exhibit a thermal "knee point" - a temperature at which the aluminum strands reach zero tension due to thermal expansion as the conductor heats up. Traditional ACSR exhibits a knee point around 125°C but can't operate there due to aluminum strand damage, while ACSS shows a lower knee point but experiences high sag above it due to steel's thermal expansion. TS AECC exhibits virtually no thermal sag above its knee point due to its carbon fiber core's extremely low thermal expansion coefficient.

Performance & Operation

Longevity by Design

TS Conductor ensures long-term reliability through multiple design features addressing potential degradation mechanisms. The aluminum encapsulation prevents galvanic corrosion by eliminating moisture and oxygen contact with the core, while also protecting against matrix degradation from environmental factors. The design's system-level performance benefits from annealed aluminum strands that redistribute stress through controlled creep, and trapezoidal strand configuration enabling optimal energy dissipation without fatigue, while compression fittings create a solid metal surround achieving 100% compaction around the composite core.

Fundamental Technology

Award-Winning Design: Aluminum Encapsulated Carbon Core (AECC)

TS Conductor's award-winning AECC technology represents the next generation of advanced conductors. The design optimizes three critical components: a pre-tensioned carbon core (without glass fibers) that delivers maximum strength and stiffness with near zero thermal expansion, a seamless aluminum encapsulation layer that preserves core pre-tensioning and provides multiple protective functions, and trapezoidal strands made from annealed aluminum that maximize conductivity. This integration achieves superior performance across all key metrics while maintaining the built-in safety and reliability of traditional options, earning recognition from organizations like the U.S. Department of Energy, Public Utilities Fortnightly, S&P Global Platts, and Bloomberg NEF.

Economics of Advanced Conductors thumbnail

Applications & Economics

The Economics of Advanced Conductors

Grid modernization projects have traditionally faced a costly choice: modify existing structures or build entirely new lines. TS Conductor changes this equation. For reconductoring, utilities can increase capacity by replacing only the conductor - just 5% of asset value - while avoiding expensive structural modifications often required with traditional conductors. This approach can deliver 30-40% total project savings compared to traditional solutions. For new construction, TS Conductor enables longer spans with fewer, shorter structures, reducing total project costs by 10-20%. By focusing investment on the conductor rather than supporting infrastructure, utilities can now double or triple grid capacity while minimizing capital expenditure, providing a cost-effective path to grid modernization.