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| − | Making [[Insulators]] from Lunar Materials.
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| − | On Earth wires typically are made of layers which include [[organic polymers]]. Since organic materials are in short supply on the Moon, then what are the alternatives.
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| | There are two types of wires, power wires (heavy duty) and signal wires (lightweight). | | There are two types of wires, power wires (heavy duty) and signal wires (lightweight). |
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| − | 1) Power Wires
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| − | As on Earth, long distance [[transmission]] systems often do not employ insulation, instead for hundreds of kilometers they string long bare cables suspended in the air without any [[insulation]], except for [[porcelain]] insulators at the [[pylon]] attach points. Exactly the same approach could be used on the Moon.
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| − | Underground: [[Lunar soil]] is somewhat [[conducting]] because of the high proportion of [[native iron]], therefore we cannot bury bare wire into the soil. Instead there will have to be insulating [[conduits]]. Such conduits could be made from ceramics, or [[silicon polymers]]. There is unlimited [[Silicon]] on the Moon.
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| − | For power wires inside [[habitable]] areas, it is important to prevent [[electric shock]], or [[electrical shorts]] which would drain power or [[short circuit]] power supplies, and cause fires. So we still need insulation. One solution would be to import pre-insulated wires from Earth, but that would be expensive primarily due to the high weight of the metal wire [[conductors]. Another approach might be to import empty insulators sleeves, or [[sleeving]] material, then via a process such as [[heat-shrinking]], attach the Earth-made insulation to lunar-made wires.
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| − | It might be possible to develop suitable flexible insulator materials by means of silicon polymer chemistry.
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| − | 2) Signal Wires
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| − | Signal wires are thin and light weight, so unlike power cables, it might be economic to import quantities of complete pre-fabricated [[wire harness]]es from Earth.
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| − | Alternatively, to the maximum extent possible, signal wires could be replaced by [[fiber optic]] data links. There is plenty of silicon on the Moon which can be used to make [[glass fibers]].
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| | [[In Situ Electrical Insulation]]<BR/> | | [[In Situ Electrical Insulation]]<BR/> |
| | [[Wire Production]]<BR/> | | [[Wire Production]]<BR/> |
| | + | [[Power Wires]]<BR/> |
| | + | [[Signal Wires]]<BR/> |
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| − | [[Category:Bootstrap lists]] | + | [[Category:Power Supply]] |
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| − | [[Category:Life Support (Power Supply)]]
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| | [[Category:Urban Planning]] | | [[Category:Urban Planning]] |
| − | [[Category:Electrical Specifications]]
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| − | [[Category:Power Grid Specifications]]
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| − | [[Category:Alternating Current Specifications]]
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| − | [[Category:Standards Proposals]]
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| | [[Category:Civil Engineering]] | | [[Category:Civil Engineering]] |
