Copper Vs Aluminium

Although this sort of topic may not make the headlines, in our industry, it’s a serious matter of some contention.

The war between these two metals continues to rage on; both vying to become the number one contender as the ideal component for windings in a transformer. Due to both metals being thermal and electrical conductors, they often cross paths. However, it’s usually down to the individual preferences of the person designing, or specifying, the transformer, as to which one gets the nod.

Copper: The Facts

Copper is a soft, malleable and ductile metal. It is very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Upon appearance, copper has a reddish-orange colour.

Symbol: Cu
Melting point: 1,085 °C
Boiling Point: 2,562 °C

Aluminium: The Facts

Aluminium is a soft, non-magnetic, ductile metal. It is silvery-white in appearance and fairly reflective.

Symbol: AI
Melting Point: 660.3 °C
Boiling Point: 2,470 °C

The History

The competition between these two metals really began to heat up during World War II. Copper became more scarce because it was being used for shells and bullet casing. This meant that, due to their similarities, several industries opted for aluminium as the nearest alternative.

Aluminium, at the time, was in good supply, priced fairly and cheaper than copper. Therefore, it quickly became the preferred metal for high-power transmission power lines. Today, almost all major manufacturers’ transmission lines are made with aluminium.

Despite copper wound transformers often being smaller, there are many debates as to which metal does it best, posing the age old question of: ‘Are aluminium windings better than copper windings?

The Debate

Aluminium and copper have a lot of similarities such as the fact that both oxidize over time, for instance. They also have similar losses in performance, depending on how they are coiled or wound. These factors are part of the reason as to why there is an ongoing debate about which metal is the superior performer for transformer windings.

Advantages of aluminium windings

• Aluminium costs a lot less than copper and thus brings commercial advantages
• Although the conductivity of copper is stronger, pound for pound aluminium proves to be almost double as effective a conductor.
• Aluminium is more flexible than copper making it easier to wind in production processes.

Disadvantages of aluminium windings

• Aluminium connections can be susceptible to fire. Connections must pierce the aluminium oxide layer so that it remains gas tight.
• Aluminium wound coils are larger than an equivalent copper coil, meaning it requires approximately 1.6 times as much cross section as copper to carry an equivalent amount of current.

Advantages of copper windings

• Copper is stronger than aluminium. It expands less and requires less inspection and maintenance.
• Copper can carry almost twice the current capacity of aluminium
• Transformers with copper windings can be less expensive to manufacture because they’re smaller.
• Reducing the cost of the magnetic steel, tank and oil needed to achieve the specified energy performance.

Disadvantages of copper windings

• Copper is significantly more expensive than aluminium
• Copper is more difficult to wind into a core than the more flexible aluminium

The Outcome

It looks like this fight will go on for ever…

The truth of the matter is that transformers wound with aluminium or copper coils can have similar losses and performance depending on their actual design. Since both aluminium and copper transformers use the same insulation systems and have similar temperature rises, they have similar lifetime ratings. However, in a cost conscious age, it is aluminium which is proving to be the most admirable option.

Wilson Power And Distribution Technologies Pvt. Ltd., always trying to combat costs for customers, but not at the compromise of products. Striking a balance between optimum performance and cost effectiveness is always a challenge. This is why we are constantly developing our solutions to heighten the overall performance of our transformers, saving our customers both energy and money, regardless.