Installing ClampStar CSF-1302-048

The conductor was 1033.5 ACSR, and being energized at 230kV, corona shields were installed on the CSF-1302-048 ClampStar units.  These were the first ClampStar units this particular crew had seen, and personnel from Classic Connectors, Inc., were on site to answer any questions the crew might have.  The additional photos which follow show how easily the ClampStar units were installed.  Complete with a very thorough conductor cleaning, Haverfield installed the CSF-1302-048, complete with corona shields, in 8 minutes and 23 seconds!  A number of Alabama Power personnel on hand all had the same statement – “We should have been doing this for years!”

It would have been even easier if we could have worked it with the skid board on the chopper, but because it was the middle phase, it required the work be done suspended 60 feet below the aircraft. It is significantly more difficult to hover steady in this position, as the pilot has no close reference point on which to fix his position.”

Installing ClampStar from 60' below the chopper

“With ClampStar, not only did we save many thousands of dollars and many man-hours but got the extra benefit of having a superior connection, much better than we would have if we had put yet another connector up in place of the one that had already failed!” Click to see photos.

Several applications have given rise to the need for this new design. While the standard “CSF” ClampStar units can be installed on deadends and suspension clamps, it is more difficult than installing them over splices, as the torque nuts must be tightened from above. This new “CSS” design allows the installer to approach from below, with the fasteners positioned downward as well, allowing the same easy access to tightening them as that of a traditional ClampStar over a splice. Read More……

Corrosive salt water and high winds in Los Angeles’ beach areas were wreaking havoc on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s automatic quick sleeves. Linemen were noticing more failures of these sleeves, which are spring-loaded with jaws that grip the wire. To solve the problem, linemen had to support the wire with a hoist and grips, and install a temporary jumper to maintain electrical Read more….

Crew Foreman, Mike Dario said replacing these 12 splices on energized 795 conductor would normally have taken 7-8 hours in these locations, and basically would have been an all-day job doing it the old-fashioned way with jumpers and come-alongs and it certainly would have been more dangerous. Beginning at 10:00 AM and having both jobs, at two separate locations, completed before lunch, including travel time, Dario was very pleased to have these finished quickly allowing his crew to move onto another project.

Be sure to view the installation photos in the Classic Connectors Photo Gallery.

For the past several years, utilities have been under considerable pressure to operate aging power lines and equipment at higher levels, forcing them to transport large amounts of energy over an aged and antiquated system. Many of the components that make up the power grid are approaching their 30−50-year useful lives. Utilities therefore are constantly searching for cost-effective alternatives while maintaining technical and safety requirements as well as reliability. Enter “ClampStar®”! READ MORE….

Including the time for set up, and covering/uncovering the adjacent conductors, the install took 25:19. Once the ClampStar® was loaded in the bucket, the actual install of placing the unit over the splice and tightening the bolts took about 3 minutes.

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Regards,

Chris Costanzo
Director of Marketing and Communications
CCostanzo@ClassicConnectors.com
800-249-1462 Ext. 1

Because they are nearing or past the end of their life or have been affected by corrosion, there are potentially 3.2 million installed electrical splices that may fail each year in the foreseeable future. With an estimated average cost of $600 to repair each failing distribution splice, the potential annual total cost could reach a staggering $1.9 billion and that figure dramatically increases when transmission connectors are included.

The U.S. economy is dependent upon a reliable and increasing supply of electric power. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, recently finalized landmark, new rules on the certification of an Electric Reliability Organization and the procedures for the establishment, approval and enforcement of mandatory electric reliability standards.

The total U.S. supply of electric power in 2005 was 4,062 billion kilowatt-hours and is forecast to increase by 2% per year over the next 20 years. While there is an increasing demand for new electric power capacity, routes to deliver that power to the market are also needed. From 2009-2015 the 283,000 transmission miles are projected to grow 2.5%-3% annually resulting in yearly transmission spending of $10 billion-$12 billion in real 2006 dollars. Another $3 billion-$6 billion will be spent adding power distribution lines. CLASSIC CONNECTORS INC. is here to help meet this need.

There is also an increased need to repair and replace large portions of our existing power grid. 30%-50% of the transmission and distribution network is 40-50 years old which is well beyond the original design life of many of its components. A 2005 study for the Department of Energy estimated that power outages cost the U.S. economy roughly $80 billion annually. Many of these outages are due to premature product failures and replacement of components that are nearing or have reached the end of their normal life.

The Clamp Star® line of connector correctors will extend the life of the connections on these networks and prevent the end-of-life failures from becoming unexpected outages with all their related consequences.