Estimating busbar temperatures

A tutorial on calculating the temperature of naturally and liquid-cooled DC busbars is presented. Estimation of time constants allows the calculations of time-varying bus temperatures, and the determination of span constants is helpful in calculating heat gradients along busbars. Sample calculations are included. Hewlett Packard 41CX calculator programs are given. They provide the steady-state temperatures of a naturally cooled DC bus and that bus´s time and span constants. An analysis of a water-cooled bus system is also presented. The methods shown allow the estimation of the steady-state temperature of DC busbars within about 5°C