The flexibility of steel wire and wire rope design provides not only a wide range of performance options but also allows for usage across many industries and applications. It’s no surprise that wire and wire rope find their way into nearly every step of the energy supply chain. Here is a quick look at where you may find this ubiquitous tool being used: from the location and extraction of resources to the transmission of electricity, steel wire and wire ropes power the processes that help power our lives.

Oil and Gas

From exploration to refining, wire and wire rope are present at every step of oil and gas extraction. Small aircraft cable is used as a strength member in the cables carrying sensor arrays during exploration. Large ropes hoist drill pipe to the top of rigs, while exotic high-nickel stainless steel wires screen and filter invert and mud during the well drilling process, Well measuring line, or "slick-line", transports down hole tooling during well finishing and work over.  You’ll also find specialty alloy wire products in refineries and cracking operations, used as catalysts to help separate the distillates and prepare the finished products for market.

Coal

Wire and wire rope can be found throughout the mines that produce coal for electricity generation. Wire rope drives elevator systems and conveyor belts to move people and material. Reflective cables are used to provide safety markings throughout a facility. Hoisting equipment into position wouldn’t be possible without the strength of steel ropes. But it’s not all larger applications. Each piece of mining equipment has many small cable assemblies holding panels closed and doors in place. Even the giant tires used on earth moving equipment have steel cords inside to reinforce them.

Green Electricity

Solar, wind, and hydroelectric power would be in the dark without wire and wire rope to keep it moving forward. Solar power panels are rotated to face the sun at all times, often on drive systems powered by aircraft cable. Wind blades need to be serviced, and wire rope is the preferred safety cabling material both on top of the generator and as fall arrest inside the towers themselves. And no dam would be able to operate without the raising and lowering of gates to control water flow though turbines: made possible with wire rope pulley systems.

Getting to Market

Moving electricity from generation plants to your home would be impossible without steel wire and wire rope. Stainless steel lashing and guy wires (often stainless steel strands) provide the support to run high voltage power lines between transmission towers to major distribution points throughout the power grid. The same is true between the poles bringing power to your communities, and culminating in small diameter strand being run between the pole and your house to suport the line linking you to the power grid. Next time you're outside, take a look at a pole near your house or work: you may see wire rope being used to steady the pole and anchor it to the ground.

So when you fill up your car, fly over a dam, drive through a wind farm, or simply turn on the television, know that steel wire and wire rope are helping to provide that energy to you. If you have questions about the products mentioned in this article, or would like to learn more about stainless steel wire and cable products, please contact a Loos & Company Product Manager today. We’ll go out of our way to provide you with the perfect wire rope solution. Remember to choose Loos & Company, Because Quality and Performance Matter.