Problem 3.7: Reconsider Example 3.

2 but assume that each of the conductors is stranded

with a central wire of radius r surrounded by six wires each of the same radius. Assume
that D>>r and justify the approximate formula: l=2E-7 ln D/Rs where
Rs=[(d11d12…d17)1/7(d21d22…d27)1/7…(d71d72…d77)1/7]1/7 is the GMR of the stranded
conductor.
Solution: Assume that the total current flowing in the a-phase conductor is ia, and it
equally divides among the strands, so that the current flowing in any one strand is ia/7.
Recalling our general formula for computing flux linkages, we have:
  1 1 1 1 
 k  0  i1 ln  i2 ln  ...  ik ln  ...  in ln 
2  d k1 dk2 rk d kn 
Consider that the situation is as below:
16 17

15 21 18

20 19

2 3 9 10

1 7 4 8 14 11

6 5 13 12

So the flux linkages for conductor 1 will be

 0  ia 1 ia 1 ia 1 i 1  i 1 ib 1 ib 1 i 1 
1   ln  ln  ln  ...  a ln    b ln  ln  ln  ...  b ln 
2  7 r  7 d 12 7 d 13 7 d17   7 d18 7 d19 7 d1,10 7 d1,14 
i 1 ic 1 ic 1 i 1 
  c ln  ln  ln  ...  c ln 
 7 d1,15 7 d 1,16 7 d1,17 7 d1, 21  
Factor out the currents in each term:
 i  1 1 1 1  i  1 1 1 1 
1  0  a ln  ln  ln  ...  ln   b ln  ln  ln  ...  ln 
2  7  r  d 12 d 13 d 17  7  d 18 d 19 d 1,10 d 1,14 
ic  1 1 1 1 
ln  ln  ln  ...  ln 
7  d 1,15 d 1,16 d 1,17 d 1, 21  
Now combine the logarithms in each square bracket, and bring the 1/7 inside:
0   1   1   1  
1  i a ln 1/ 7 
 ib ln 1/ 7 
 ic ln 1/ 7 
2    r d 12 d 13 ...d 17     d 18 d 19 d 1,10 ...d 1,14     d 1,15 d 1,16 d 1,17 ...d 1, 21   
Assumption: (d18d19d1,10…d1,14 )1/7 ≈ (d1,15d1,16d1,17…d1,21)1/7=D . Then:

0   1   1   1 
1  ia ln   ib ln  ic ln 
2    r d 12 d 13 ...d 17  1 / 7   D   D  
Factoring out the ln(1/D) and substituting ia=-(ib+ic), we obtain:
0   1   1    0 i a  1   1 
1  i
 a ln 
 ai ln    ln 1/ 7 
 ln 
2    r d 12 d 13 ...d 17  1 / 7   D   2   r d 12 d 13 ...d 17    D  
i D
 0 a ln
2  r d 12 d 13 ...d 17  1 / 7
Then use L1=λ1/i1= λ1/(ia/7), we get:
 0 ia D 7 D
L1  ln  0 ln
2 ia / 7  r d12 d 13 ...d 17  1/ 7
2  r d12 d 13 ...d17  1 / 7
The 7 strands for the phase a conductor are in parallel. If they were exactly equal, we
could just use La=L1/7. But they are not. Why not? Two reasons:
1) Numerator of previous expression: The distances from each phase a strand to the
strands in the other phases are different. However, we will neglect this difference,
since the differences, relative to the distance between phase positions, are very
small. Therefore we assume that the numerator of the above expression will be the
same for every phase a strand.
2) Denominator of previous expression: Referring back to our figure above, we see
that the denominator of the inductance expression above will be the same for all
of the outside strands, but not for the inside strand. Therefore
L1=L2=L3=L4=L5=L6, but L7 will differ. Rather than use the parallel formula
suggested in the book of Lavg-1=L1-1 + L2-1 + …., lets just compute the average
inductance of the strands. Then we will assume that every strand has this average
inductance, and then, to get the equivalent inductance of the parallel combination
of 7 strands, each having inductance of Lavg, we can just use La=Lavg/7. This
approximation is exact when all inductances are equal, but it is still good if the
inductance values are close, which they are in this case (all are in fact the same
except for one of them).
Computing Lavg:
1
Lavg   L1  L2  L3  L4  L5  L6  L7 
7
1 7 0  D D D D 
 ln  ln  ln  ...  ln 1/ 7 
7 2   r d 12 d 13 ...d 17  1/ 7
 r d 21 d 23 ...d 27  1/ 7
 r d 31 d 32 ...d 37  1/ 7
 r d 71 d 72 ...d 76  
Canceling the 7 in the numerator and denominator out front, and combining the
logarithms, we obtain:
  D7 
Lavg  0 ln 1/ 7 
2   r d 12 d 13 ...d 17   r d 21 d 23 ...d 27   r d 31 d 32 ...d 37  ... r d 71 d 72 ...d 76  
1/ 7 1/ 7 1/ 7

Now multiple out front by 7 and take the 7th root of the logarithm argument to get:
7   D7  
1/ 7

Lavg  0 ln  
1/ 7 
2    r d d
12 13 ...d 17  1/ 7
 r d d
21 23 ...d 27  1/ 7
 r d d
31 32 ...d 37  1/ 7
... r d d
71 72 ...d 76   
Bring the 7th root inside the parenthesis so that the numerator becomes D and the
denominator becomes 7th root:
 7 0  D 
Lavg  ln 1/ 7 
2 
  r d 12 d 13 ...d 17   r d 21d 23 ...d 27   r d 31d 32 ...d 37  1 / 7 ... r d 71d 72 ...d 76  1 / 7
1/ 7 1/ 7
 
Define:
RS  [ r d 12 d 13 ...d17   r d 21d 23 ...d 27  1 / 7  r d 31d 32 ...d 37  1 / 7 ... r d 71d 72 ...d 76  1 / 7 ]1 / 7
1/ 7

7 0
 D
we have Lavg  ln  . Assuming the a-phase is 7 inductances in parallel, each of
2
 RS 
Lavg  0  D 
inductance Lavg, the composite inductance will be La   ln  .
7 2  RS 
Problem 3.8: Given an aluminum 52,260-circular mil conductor composed of 7 strands,
each strand with a diameter of 0.0867 in. an outside diameter of 0.2601 in., find RS, the
GMR using the formula in Problem 3.7 and compare with the manufacturer’s figure of
0.00787 ft.
Solution: So we need to use the formula for RS derived in the previous problem, which is
RS  [ r d 12 d 13 ...d 17   r d 21d 23 ...d 27  1 / 7  r d 31d 32 ...d 37  1 / 7 ... r d 71d 72 ...d 76  1 / 7 ]1 / 7
1/ 7

 [ r d12 d 13 ...d 17  r d 21d 23 ...d 27  r d 31d 32 ...d 37  ... r d 71d 72 ...d 76  ]1 / 49

To use it, we need r’=0.778(d/2), where d=.0867 in.

As indicated previously, we will have the first six terms identical. The following picture
shows how to get these terms:

Three of the arrows have length of d. The longer middle arrow will have distance of 2d.
The other two arrows are harder to determine, but the below picture should help.

3
z
y
x 4
1
5

By inspection, we see that x=3/2(d), but we do not know y or z. However, observe that
the larger triangle formed by the points 1-3-5 is isosceles. Therefore its interior angles are
all 60°. The line 1-4 bisects a 60° angle and therefore the angle 3-1-4 is a 30° angle. So
the smaller triangle formed by the legs x, y, and z is a 30-60-90 triangle, and we have:
3
x d 3d
z  2   3d
cos 30 3 3
2

The seventh term will be associated with the center strand. But it is simple because it has
distance d from every other strand in the conductor. So the complete RS is given by


 
 

  ( 0.77 8 d
RS    ) d

 2
     Th
sho
 
r ' a rro

 
    
 T he fi rst si x t e rm


o u ts