Investigation of the skin effect in alternating currents

IRC (Library)

My research is on the investigation of the skin effect in alternating currents. The skin effect is when an alternating current tends to flow on the surface of the conductor, such that the current density is highest near the surface, and decreases with greater depths in the conductor. This is due to the alternating current inducing changing magnetic fields, which in turn induces currents that oppose the original flow of current, resisting the current flowing through the centre the most. This reduces the effective cross-sectional area of the conductor and increases the resistance, causing increased power losses. This effect becomes more apparent as the frequency increases. My project is broken down into 4 sub-aims. The first aim would be, to mathematically model the distribution of current in the radius of the wire, which consists of the application of the Maxwell equations and solving zeroth order Bessel equations of the first kind. The next aim would be to computationally plot out the desired current readings as the depth of the wire increases from the surface, using the Matlab software. The third aim that I have is to conduct an experiment, which involves bundling it multiple silver wires together, and a section of it is where the wires would diverge from each other before they converge into a bundle again. An alternating current is passed through them, before measuring the current distribution flowing through each layer. Lastly, it is to compare on which mathematical model is the most accurate in modelling the skin effect in the wire. This would be a contribution to physics, in the field of electromagnetism as this shows the interaction of the electromagnetic fields within a conductor, and it is also a contribution to the engineering field as engineers can better design conductors to minimise power losses.