This paper presents a semi-analytical method for determining the distribution of the thermal field in a system of two parallel round conductors, taking into account the skin and proximity effects. The method of a suitably constructed Green’s function was applied to find an analytical expression for the eigenfunctions describing the temperature distributions. In turn, the relevant integrals, which cannot be determined analytically, were calculated numerically. The foundation of the method is the knowledge of the current density distribution in the conductors. As a result, the steady-state distribution of the temperature field in the conductors for various parameter values can be determined. The obtained numerical results were positively verified using the finite element method. Using the developed method, the share of skin and proximity effects in the temperature rise and steady-state current rating was evaluated. Closed analytical formulas were obtained for the AC case with the skin effect taken into account. When the skin depth is smaller than the wire radius, the skin effect has quite a large impact on the conductor temperature. The impact of the proximity effect is much smaller but clearly noticeable when the distance between the wires is smaller than five times the wire radius. In addition, the influence of the value of the heat transfer coefficient on the thermal field of the conductors was also examined.

The simplified method of analysis of the thermal field in the futuristic model of a DC cable is presented. The thermal conductivity of a non-conducting layer is very small comparing with the same parameter of conducting regions. The above causes very fast heat propagation in the core and coating, which in the consequences are approximated by inert elements of the first order. Spatial changes in the field in insulation cannot be neglected, because of the significantly slow heat transfer. For that reason, insulation is treated as an element of distributed parameters. The boundary-initial parabolic problem of a non-conducting region is solved by means of Duhamel’s theorem. The fundamental solutions of superposition integrals are determined by the separation of variables method. The maximal deviation of results obtained by the finite element method does not exceed 7.2%. The heating curves and results of verification are presented in a graphic form.

The passage of current generates heat and increases the temperature of electrical components, which affects the environment, support insulators and contacts. Knowledge of the temperature allows for the determination of important operational parameters. Time-varying currents result in a nonuniform current density distribution due to the skin and proximity effects. As a result, temperature and energy losses are increased compared to the uniform DC current density case. In this paper, these effects are considered for three-phase systems with round conductors in flat and trefoil arrangements. In the first step, the analytical expressions for current distributions are determined and used to construct the heat source density. Then, a suitable Green’s function, which allows for obtaining temperature distribution in analytical form, is used to evaluate temperature at any point throughout the conductors. The temperature differences throughout individual wires are usually negligible, whereas noticeable differences can be observed between the wires. The impact of various parameters is examined, and an approximate closed formula is derived to assess the influence of the skin and proximity effects. When the skin depth is not smaller than the wire radius, the skin effect enlarges the temperature increase by around 2% compared to the DC case. As for the proximity effect, the additional increase can be neglected if the distance is above around 10 wire radii, but for closely spaced wires, it can reach up to around 17%, depending on the arrangement and the distance between the wires. Such an additional increase may result in exceeding the permissible temperatures, which damages particular components of the system; therefore, it is important to take it into account at the design stage.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a method of solving a thermal conduction equation in three-zone axially-symmetrical systems. Design/methodology/approach – In the method developed, the field functions are determined in the analytical way by the superposition of states and separation of variables method. The coefficients of the field functions and eigenvalues of the boundary-initial problem are computed by the numerical method. The coefficients are the solution to the corresponding sets of equations. These sets are the result of scalar products of non-orthogonal functions at the respective zones of the cable. The eigenvalues are determined by an algorithm, which uses the field properties and elements of the golden cut method. Findings – The method made it possible to develop a mathematical model of the dynamics of the thermal field in a polymer DC cable. This model has good physical interpretation. The paper also presents the field distributions determined in an analytical form. Some arguments of the expressions derived are however computed numerically. The results obtained by the paper's method and by the finite elements methods were compared. The relative differences are less than 6 per cent. Research limitations/implications – The method concerns axially-symmetrical three-zone systems under nominal conditions. Practical implications – By means of the method important parameters of DC lines can be determined (e.g. spatial-temporal heat-up curves, admissible sustained currents, time constants). Originality/value – An analytical-numerical method of analysis of the thermal field in a three-zone axially-symmetrical system was developed. Its original element is the algorithm of determination of eigenvalues of the boundary-initial problem and coefficients of non-orthogonal field functions.

The paper investigates the dynamics of the thermal field of the ACCC (aluminum conductor composite core) line. The system was heated by solar radiation and current flow. Conductor cooling was modeled using the total heat transfer coefficient as the sum of convective and radiative components. The temperature increase generated by the current is described by a system of parabolic differential equations with an appropriate set of boundary, initial and continuity condition. The mentioned boundary-initial problem was solved by a modified Green’s method, adapted to the layered structure of the system. For this purpose, Green’s functions, as the kernels of integral operators inverse to differential ones, were determined. Aluminum resistivity and heat transfer coefficient change significantly with temperature. For this reason, the solution to the problem is presented in the form of a lower and upper estimation of the heating curve and local time constant. A steady-state current rating was also determined. The results are presented graphically and verified by other methods (power balance and finite element). The physical interpretation of the presented solution is also given.