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To prevent accelerated thermal aging or insulation faults in cable systems due to overheating, the current carrying capacity is usually limited by specific conductor temperatures. As the heat produced during the operation of underground cables has to be dissipated to the environment, the actual current carrying capacity of a power cable system is primarily dependent on the thermal properties of the surrounding porous bedding material and soil. To investigate the heat dissipation processes around buried power cables of real scale and with realistic electric loading, a field experiment consisting of a main field with various cable configurations, laid in four different bedding materials, and a side field with additional cable trenches for thermally enhanced bedding materials and protection pipe systems was planned and constructed. The experimental results present the strong influences of the different bedding materials on the maximum cable ampacity. Alongside the importance of the basic thermal properties, the influence of the bedding’s hydraulic properties, especially on the drying and rewetting effects, were observed. Furthermore, an increase in ampacity between 25% and 35% was determined for a cable system in a duct filled with an artificial grouting material compared to a common air-filled ducted system.

The formation of the surface-near microstructure after a current interruption of CuCr contact materials in a vacuum interrupter is characterized by a fast heating and subsequently rapid solidification process. In the present article, we reveal and analyse the formation of two distinct microstructural regions that result from the heat, which is generated and dissipated during interruption. In the topmost region, local and global texture, as well as the resulting microstructure, indicate that both Cu and Cr were melted during rapid heating and solidification whereas in the region underneath, only Cu was melted and elongated Cu-grains solidified with the -direction perpendicularly aligned to the surface. By analysing the lattice parameter of the Cu solid solution, a supersaturation of the solid solution with about 2.25 at % Cr was found independent if Cu was melted solely or together with the Cr. The according reduction of electrical conductivity in the topmost region subsequent to current interruption and the resulting heat distribution are discussed based on these experimental results.

Ice nucleation is of great interest for various processes such as cloud formation in the scope of atmospheric physics, and icing of airplanes, ships, or structures. Ice nucleation research aims to improve the knowledge about the physical mechanisms and to ensure the safety and reliability of the respective applications. Several influencing factors like liquid supercooling or contamination with nucleants, as well as external disturbances such as an electric field or surface defects, affect ice nucleation. Especially for ice crystal formation in clouds and icing of high-voltage equipment, an external electric field may also have a strong impact on ice nucleation. Although ice nucleation has been widely investigated for numerous conditions, the effect of an electric field on ice nucleation is not yet completely understood; results reported in literature are even contradictory on some issues. In the present study, an advanced experimental approach for the examination of ice nucleation in water droplets exposed to an electric field is described. It comprises a method for droplet ensemble preparation and an experimental setup, which allows observation of the droplet ensemble during its exposure to well-defined thermal and electric fields, which are both variable over a wide range. The entire approach aims at maximizing the accuracy and repeatability of the experiments in order to enable examination of even the most minor influences on ice nucleation. For that purpose, the boundary conditions the droplet sample is exposed to during the experiment are examined in particular detail using experimental and numerical methods. The methodological capabilities and accuracy have been demonstrated based on several ice nucleation experiments without an electric field, indicating almost perfect repeatability.