Generation of electricity

Conductors
16.03.2021
M.Saadeddin Öztürk

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Generation of electrical energy from fossil
fuels

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Generation of electrical energy from renewable sources

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Transmission and distribution

(A)14kV

(B) 230kV

(D) 72/130 kV

(C) 25kV

(F) 220V

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CONDUCTORS AND
INSULATORS
Definitions
Wire conductors
Properties of wire conductors

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 Questions – 1
• Define in precise terms conductors,
semiconductors and insulators.
• What is a superconductor and how it is
generated?
• Why the elements named as "conductors"
conduct electricity easily?
• What are the three best conductors?
• Why copper is the mostly used conductor?
• Why the bare copper wire is not used (why it is
used with some sort of covering/coating)?

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 Definitions
• Conductor:

• Semiconductor:

• Superconductor:

• Insulator:

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 Atomic structure of conducting and
insulating materials

• Conductors loosly connected electrons (outer

orbital electrons) can move freely.
• An external influence repels a nearby electron
• The repulsion creates a chain effect and electrons
moves at the speed of light.
• But electrons should be contained – preventing
to leave the conductor!
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Types of wires and
cables

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 Hot – Neutral – Ground wires
• The black wire is the hot
wire. It provides a 220 VAC
current source.
• The white wire is the neutral
wire. It provides the return
path for the current provided
by the hot wire.
• The copper wire is called the
ground wire because it is
connected to the earth either
directly or through another
grounded conductor.

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Faults in power cables

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 Types of wires and
cables

Silver
Copper
Aluminum

Tinned, enameled and shellac

coated copper wires
Solid or braided conductors
Insulting sleeved conductors

Wire cable: Two or more

conductors in a common covering

11.02.2019 12
Wires in Electronics

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 Twisted Pair

• For low level signal

• Low noise application
• i.e. internet data transfer
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 Braided conductors

• Very low resistance

• For grounding applications
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Coaxial cables

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Single and dual core coaxial cables

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Coaxial cable connectors

• Signal transmission
• Shielded against parasitic
effects
• Impedance matched
depending on the device
used (typically 50 Ohm)
• For oscilloscopes

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Capacitive coupling

BME424E - Electronic Measurements and

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Display Technologies
Twin lead and ribbon cables

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 Properties of Wire Conductors
• Ampacity: amount of current that can be
carried
• Wire resistance
• Resistance change with temperature
• Skin effect

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Resistivity and temperature coeff.
Element Symbol r at 293 K (20° r at 500 K (227° Temperature
C) C) coefficient a (/°C)
Graphite (carbon) C 1375x10-8 Wm -0.0003
Aluminum Al 26.5 nWm 49.9 nWm 0.0043
Vanadium V 197 nWm 348 nWm
Chromium Cr 125 nWm 201 nWm
Iron Fe 96.1 nWm 237 nWm 0.0060
Nickel Ni 69.3 nWm 177 nWm 0.0059
Copper Cu 16.78 nWm 30.9 nWm 0.0040
Zinc Zn 59 nWm 108.2 nWm 0.0038
Silver Ag 15.87 nWm 28.7 nWm 0.0038
Tungsten W 52.8 nWm 103 nWm 0.0044
Platinum Pt 105 nWm 183 nWm 0.0038
Gold Au 22.14 nWm 39.7 nWm 0.0037

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Resistance change with temperature

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Skin effect
Frequency Skin depth (μm)
60 Hz 8470
10 kHz 660
100 kHz 210
1 MHz 66
10 MHz 21
100 MHz 6.6

Litz wire 25
 Questions – 2
• Why a stranded wire is preferred to solid core
wire?
• Why we use twisted pairs of wires?
• What is a transmission line and how it differs
from an ordinary wire?
• Why we use shielded wires?
• Why we use constant spacing between pairs of
signal wires?
• Why we don't use thick solid conductors at high
frequency AC applications?

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 Questions – 3
• What is the wire gage and how it is used to select the
wire size for a given application?
• What determines the current carrying capacity (ampacity)
of a wire conductor?
• Express the resistance of a wire in terms of its length and
diameter.
• What is the meaning of "positive temperature coefficient"
for a resistive wire?
• How is the flow (current) through a resistance is related
to the effort (voltage) applied?

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 Question – 4
No. 14 gage copper wire is used for house wiring. It's weight is 18.5
gram/meter. It's resistance is 0.00827 W/m at 20 °C. The temperature
coefficient of copper is 0.004 /°C.
• What will be the resistance of 20 m wire at 20 °C and at 40 °C?
• How much is the voltage drop across the wire for a current of 4 A at
20 °C and at 40 °C?
• How much is the power dissipated per meter of the wire for a current
of 4 A at 20 °C?
• The plastic covering melts at 60 °C and the maximum current
allowed is (the ampacity) of the wire is 20 A if it works at the ambient
temperature of 20 °C. What is the maximum power you can draw
from 220 V mains supply through a pair of this wire at the room
(ambient) temperature
– 20 °C
– 40 °C?

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