TARP, School of Electronics Engineering

VIT Vellore
WS2019-2020
Assignment # 2
Faculty: Harish Kittur

Due Date: 25 Jan 2020

Topic: Insulation Design of Resistors.

Resistors are one of the most commonly used components of electrical circuits. The resistors are to
be covered with electrically insulating material to prevent short circuits with other parts of the
circuits. The insulation also offers other advantages like: 1. providing the resistor with mechanical
strength, 2. protecting the resistor material from oxidation and corrosion. We would therefore tend
to conclude and believe that better insulation has all advantages and the material, size and the cost
would be the only constraining factors. We have argued clearly in the classroom that if a current is
passed through a resistor covered with a “perfect insulator” for a long enough time then the resistor
would heat up and eventual melt itself or the insulation. Of course it was assumed that no heat
would be lost through the metallic leads connecting to the resistor. Practical insulators are not
perfect and therefore conduct some of the heat generated in the resistor to the ambience. Also
some of the heat is conducted through the connecting leads away from the insulation. Nevertheless,
this discussion provided us an insight into the considerations for the design of the insulation of the
resistor. These design considerations can then be extended for the design of the insulation for the
household and industrial electrical wires.

Your task is to assume a given resistor of nominal resistance room temperature resistance, R0 across
which a constant voltage of V is applied. Assume the resistance linearly increases with the
temperature, R(T) = R0 +alpha(T-T0). Assume the mass of the resistor is MR and the heat capacity of
the resistor is HR. The resistor is covered with an insulator of mass MI and heat capacity HI. Assume
that the heat lost through the insulator surface to the ambient air is HA joule per unit temp gradient
per unit time. Also assume that the heat lost to the connecting leads is HL joule per unit temp
gradient per unit time. If the melting temperature of the metal and the insulator are TM and TI
respectively and also given that TM > TI then find the maximum time for which the current can be
passed through the resistor before the insulator melts. You have to provide an analytical solution.
Submissions with simulations either with COMSOL Multiphysics or MATLAB Simulink will be awarded
higher marks.