Reliable and Easy to Use
In all installations, 3M™ ACCR delivers superior performance consistent with design requirements.
Reliable Performance
3M™ ACCR was developed with a focus on reliability, from the choice of chemically compatible, corrosion-resistant materials used in the conductor, to the strength provided by a multi-strand core surrounded by full strength aluminum zirconium, to a thorough testing regimen.
- First, the core of the conductor is a metal-based, inorganic material. The core is thermo-chemically stable at temperatures that are significantly higher than the operating or emergency temperature of the conductor, 210° C continuous, 240°C emergency.
- Second, the conductor is durable, with a life expectancy of 40 years or more, even after operating at high temperatures.
- Third, 3M ACCR is corrosion resistant. There is virtually no galvanic coupling between the core and the stranded aluminum wires, which would otherwise result in corrosion. No protective coatings are required for the core, unlike steel cores that require galvanized coatings or carbon fiber polymers that require a glass barrier.
- Fourth, the composition is unaffected by ultraviolet light or humidity and retains strength after long-term exposure to both.
- Fifth, the use of all aluminum-based materials results in a partition of mechanical and electrical load between the core and the outer aluminum, which offers additional safety.
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Full Support
Design support
Our highly-qualified and experienced engineers can work with you to match the best 3M ACCR options to your needs. Cable files for 3M ACCR are also available for users of PLS-CADD™ design software. Extensive testing validated our design coefficients, meaning you can have confidence 3M ACCR will perform as specified for decades.
Click on Get Started to get help with your project or on PLS CADD to download the data files.
Supply chain support
Getting materials delivered on time and in full is crucial to a successful project. 3M will work with you to get the right conductor and accessories to the right place at the right time.
Installation support
While the equipment and installation process for 3M ACCR are similar to that for ACSR, there are some slight differences, mostly due to the high temperatures at which 3M ACCR can run. Our engineers and installation experts will ensure your crews understand those differences so the conductor is successfully installed. And if any questions arise during installation, we’ll be available on site to answer them.
Use this link to review the 3M ACCR Installation Guide.
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Easy To Use
3M ACCR was designed specifically to use installation hardware and procedures very similar to those for ACSR. Because it uses hardened aluminum outer wires and has a high modulus, it is less prone to bird caging during installation than conductors such as ACSS and ACCC that use annealed aluminum. And the stranded core construction and available round or trapezoidal outer wire construction are familiar to installers.
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Industry Validation
3M is recognized within the industry for establishing an understanding of high temperature conductor behavior and validation of this critical aspect of performance. 3M ACCR was developed and tested over a number of years by a 3M-led team of industrial companies, independent test laboratories, and utilities with a focus on reliability. This includes key measurements in the laboratory of high temperature creep and other key conductor properties, validated against performance at an outdoor test facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as various field installations.
3M’s expertise in understanding and qualifying new conductors has been recognized in the U.S., where we are serving as the chair of the IEEE task force to develop guidelines to qualify this class of conductors. You can also rely on 3M's well-established reputation and credibility as one of the most innovative corporations in the world across its numerous businesses.
Field & Lab Tests
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Quality Control
3M ACCR is manufactured using the same systems approach to quality that has proven successful throughout 3M. Each process step is monitored, controlled and tested to ensure the highest quality while meeting or exceeding all customer specifications.
3M methodology includes Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and real time control charting. These continuous checks and balances build on each other throughout the manufacturing process to ensure a finished product in which you can have complete confidence.
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Accessories
To build confidence in performance, 3M and its team undertook a thorough series of tests on a variety of accessories. Terminations (also called dead-ends), joints (also called mid-span splices or full-tension splices/joints), suspensions, jumper connections dampers, spacers and other accessories are commercially available from 3M or directly from Preformed Line Products, which provides helical-rod hardware, and from ACA Conductor Accessories, which provides compression hardware. All hardware is rated for high-temperature operation. Only accessories tested and approved for high temperature operation are to be used with 3M ACCR.
Accessories
Installation Guide
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Field Installations
3M ACCR is installed and operational on a number of critical utility sites. These include installation sites where 3M ACCR has been used to interconnect different types of generation, such as combined cycle generators and hydro-electric dams, to the transmission network, as well as installations in which 3M ACCR is the primary path to serve rapidly growing urban areas, including downtown businesses and municipal facilities (airports, sports arenas, etc.). It has also been installed in areas with harsh environments to give you confidence it will perform in extreme circumstances. Click on the Customer Installations link below for more information about these installations.
Customer Installations
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Upgrade With Confidence
3M™ ACCR is operating in many commercial installations, including extreme environmental and operating conditions on critical lines. In all cases, 3M ACCR has consistently delivered outstanding performance consistent with design requirements.
Ensure a successful project with:
- A line of 3M ACCR conductors in a variety of standard sizes and constructions (See Product Data & Design Guides)
- A reliable solution that has successfully undergone stringent and thorough testing and is in operation in critical commercial applications supplying power to major cities; (See Field & Lab Tests and Customer Installations)
- Installation procedures similar to those used for conventional ACSR, minimizing installation-related outages and disruptions; (See Installation Guide)
- A full set of accessories that are similar to conventional accessories but designed for high-temperature operation; (See Accessories)
- A knowledgeable and dedicated team that understands overhead transmission and has broad experience on the subject, including materials science, conductor mechanics and behavior, accessories, and transmission line design and installation; (See Get Started)
- The benefits of 3M’s global technological resources, which have been proven in the world’s most demanding marketplaces.
An experienced, reliable, global technology partner
3M has been in business for over 100 years. Throughout that time, we’ve developed a reputation for trusted, practical, quality solutions that help our customers succeed. 3M employs some 6,500 researchers and spends over $1 billion a year on research and development. We maintain laboratories in 34 countries, as well as 139 manufacturing plants and 188 sales offices. This global commitment makes it easier for you to access 3M products and technologies, with locally-based sales, technical and manufacturing resources that can provide faster response to your toughest application challenges.
Enjoy the peace of mind of a technology backed by the technical, financial and manufacturing resources of 3M.
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