Joule Heating Calculator

Electrons, tiny charged particles, carry electrical energy, which flows through a cable creating an electrical current. You surely know atoms make up the entire matter around us. Now, you can imagine that if a moving electron collides with an atom, the electron will lose some of its energy. This energy is then converted into heat, and therefore the temperature of the cable is raised. We can say how much energy is lost in this way, knowing the voltage drop on the wire. If you wish to learn more about it, check out our voltage drop calculator.

You can estimate heat generated in the current-carrying cable with the equation below, called Joule's first law:

Q = I² × R × t

where:

• I — Current;
• R — Resistance;
• t — Current flow time; and
• Q — Heat.

This equation can be used with every electrical network provided where the flowing current is direct (DC). In particular, you can compute the amount of heat generated by resistors in series or parallel resistors. Just calculate the appropriate resistance R using our calculators.

• Joule heating is often an undesirable effect because the generated heat means lost energy. In electronic devices, the Joule phenomenon causes heat to escape inside the device and requires heat reduction to work correctly. That's why electronic devices such as computers need to be cooled.

• On the other hand, we can use Joule heating to raise the temperature on purpose. Currently, most conventional heaters, found, for example, in electric kettles or washing machines, consist of a coiled cable with the current.

• There are also materials that don't have any resistance; thus, they don't lose any energy due to Joule heating. They are called superconductors, but their extraordinary properties only occur at very low temperatures.

• If too much current flows through the wiring of a building, the heat could create a fire, and wires could even melt. That's why we use circuit breakers to protect the appliances and the electrical installation itself.

To learn more about circuit breakers, visit our breaker size calculator.