Aluminum conductors for pipe-type cable

EARLY IN 1951, because of an existing shortage and the uncertain future of the supply of copper, The Detroit Edison Company began actively to consider the use of aluminum conductors in 138-kv high-pressure gas-filled pipe-type cable. For many years, the company had been employing aluminum instead of copper wherever it offered an economic advantage. In these considerations it had been felt, however, that in any change-over from copper to aluminum conductors-the field of the extra-high-voltage underground cable would be one of the last in which such a conversion should be attempted. Nevertheless, realizing that with the ever-expanding extra-high-voltage underground cable system of the company, the day might come when copper is not available for a new line or when aluminum shows a definite economic advantage over copper, the decision was made to investigate the feasibility of using aluminum instead of copper for this purpose.