| With an annual capacity reaching approximately 6,000 tonnes, Berndorf F.A.S. GmbH, a subsidiary of the private holding company Berndorf AG, is the Austria's largest producer for overhead line conductors.
The company offers Aluminium Clad Steel (ACS), a high-tensile steel wire which is coated with aluminium during the extrusion process. When used in composite conductors, it shows better corrosion-resistance, higher conductivity, lower weight and therefore smaller sags than for an equivalent ACSR conductor. ACS wire has established itself as the standard load bearing element in ground wires with integrated optical fibres (OPGW). The company also provides hot conductor (TAL), an alloy of aluminium which retains its mechanical properties even after operation at high temperature over long periods of time. Hot conductors are mono-metallic and composite conductors of TAL wires and ACS. Typical applications for TACSR/ACS conductors are renovation of old networks through replacement conductors with retention of the existing masts, removal of bottleneck cross-sections in line runs and raising the power transmission in continuous operation. Overall economy is achieved by using composite constructions in order to optimise the sag behaviour of the conductors, which are continuously subjected to temperatures up to 150�C. A higher transmission capacity of more than 50% in comparison to a normal conductor is possible.
In addition to its range of overhead conductors, Berndorf offers coated hot conductors (BTACSR/ACS) which are blackened with a permanent layer of colour on their surface. A higher heat radiation means that the current carrying capacity can be increased, and as a result, the sag can be reduced. Furthermore, the Austrian company recently introduced its new colour coated camouflage conductor (preferably green) which is one solution to positively influence an environmentally leaning authorising procedure for the construction of a new line. All types of conductors can be coated.
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