News Release

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Special energy edition

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications and Community Outreach staff member identified at the end of each tip.

TRANSMISSION – Three times the efficiency . . .
Next-generation power lines that are lighter and can transmit far more electricity will likely play a role in modernizing the nation's power grid. The new transmission lines, made of 3M Nextel 610 ceramic fibers embedded in an aluminum matrix, are undergoing extensive testing at the National Transmission Technology Research Center in Oak Ridge. Results are encouraging. "3M's new conductor can increase current-carrying capacity by three fold for the same size cable at minimal cost and environmental impact," said John Stovall, a researcher in ORNL's Engineering Science and Technology Division. And, since October 2002, Western Area Power in Fargo, N.D., has had a mile-long section of the conductor installed in its grid. In addition to its greater efficiency, the new material makes lines far less susceptible to sagging, which happens under heavy load and can lead to massive power outages. The National Transmission Technology Research Center is a joint effort of ORNL, 3M and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The center has been in operation for about a year. [Contact: Ron Walli, 865-576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov].

SUPERCONDUCTORS -- Lines of tomorrow . . .
High-temperature superconducting cables can transmit up to five times as much electricity as conventional cables over the same rights-of-way. And, because the cable loses very little energy in the form of heat, it will cut electrical transmission losses in half -- from 8 percent to 4 percent. High-temperature superconducting cables come in different configurations, but all feature significant improvements over conventional transmission cables. ORNL partner Southwire Company of Carrollton, Ga., installed a first-generation 100-foot cable made of bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper-oxide that has provided power to the Southwire industrial complex for more than 22,000 hours. And ORNL's RABiTS (rolling assisted, biaxially textured substrates), a patented technology and winner of an R&D 100 Award, is another potential big player in power transmission of the future. [Contact: Ron Walli, 865-576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov].

POWER GENERATION -– Electricity on the spot . . .
Power blackouts need not interrupt normal routines such as keeping phone circuits and hotel electric systems operating. Using energy sources produced through the concept of distributed generation, Verizon Communications and a Hilton Hotel outside of Gary, Ind., may soon be able to operate regardless of whether these facilities are receiving electricity from the power grid. Distributed generation produced on-site uses fuel cells, microturbines or natural gas-fired reciprocating engine electric systems to produce electricity. In addition, these systems use what would otherwise be waste heat to provide heating or cooling to the facilities, making greater use of the fuel energy. [Contact: Fred Strohl, 865-574-4165; strohlhf@ornl.gov].

PREDICTION -– Shedding light on the grid . . .
Computer models inspired by fusion research -- and sand -- can provide insight toward understanding the complex North American power grid and reducing its vulnerability to blackouts. A dynamic computer model developed by ORNL and university partners simulates an electrical network. By incorporating the slow growth of the power demand and the engineering responses to failures, researchers found that the network tends to operate close to the breaking point where small events, such as a blown breaker, can cascade into larger outages. The model predicts the probability that the network will experience a catastrophic blackout. The work is based on sand -- researchers studied tumbling sandpiles as a model for energy losses in unstable fusion plasmas. The same concept, however, also lends itself to predicting the behavior of complex systems such as the power grid. [Contact: Bill Cabage, 865-574-4399; cabagewh@ornl.gov].

ORNL Review's Energy Security issue: http://www.ornl.gov/ORNLReview/vol35_2_02/cover_story.shtml.

###


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.