W8 - Capacitors, Time Constant, Reactance PDF (EEEE-105)
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This document provides a comprehensive overview of capacitors, including their structure, operation, and analysis in both DC and AC circuits. It analyzes charging and discharging effects, time constants, and reactive behavior. Useful for understanding fundamental electrical concepts in a classroom or self-study context.
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EEEE-105 Freshman Practicum Capacitors (Labs 5 & 6) DC Analysis: Capacitor as a Storage Element >> Charging/Discharging/Time Constant AC Analysis: Capacitors are Reactors >> Electrical Filters Recap – Resistors & Diodes Resistors (Lab 2) I is linear in...
EEEE-105 Freshman Practicum Capacitors (Labs 5 & 6) DC Analysis: Capacitor as a Storage Element >> Charging/Discharging/Time Constant AC Analysis: Capacitors are Reactors >> Electrical Filters Recap – Resistors & Diodes Resistors (Lab 2) I is linear in V slope = 1/R I = V/R V can be dc or ac I-V relationship of the Resistor Diodes (Lab 4) I is exponential in V 𝑉 𝐼~𝑒 𝑛𝑉𝑇 Capacitors (Lab 5, 6) 𝒊 is the derivative of v 𝒅𝒗 𝒊 𝒕 = 𝑪 𝒅𝒕 I-V relationship of the Diode Capacitor Structure/Operation Capacitors are made of two conductive sheets or plates sandwiching a thin dielectric layer 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎: 𝐴 − Plates can be circular or rectangular − Capacitors can be cylindrical, spherical, or other shapes A dielectric material is an electrical insulator that can 𝑑 be polarized by an electric field − A material that can support charge separation − Can be solid (mica, glass, plastic, oxides), liquid gel, or gas (e.g., dry air) Conductors sandwiching an insulator give rise to an 𝐶 = 𝜀𝐴/𝑑 interesting òperation when E-field applies to it 𝜀: 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 − When a +ve DC voltage is placed across a capacitor, the positive (+ve) charge accumulates on the top plate creating an electric field in the process. The dielectric causes an opposite (-ve) charge to flow towards the bottom plate − This opposite plate charge attraction makes it appear as though current is flowing through the capacitor − This continues till the voltage across C reaches Vs Capacitors act as a storage medium. They store energy in the form of an electrical charge Capacitors capacitors vary in value from 1 pF to about 1 mF (could be more for supercapacitors) Farad* (F) = coulombs/volt * Named after the British physicist Michael Faraday An electrolytic capacitor is a type of capacitor that uses an electrolyte to achieve a larger capacitance. Electrolyte is a liquid or gel or solid polymer containing a high concentration of ions (commonly made of tantalum or aluminum). Electrolytic capacitors are typically polarized, which means that the voltage on the +ve terminal is greater than the voltage on the -ve terminal. Supercapacitors are a special subtype of electrolytic capacitors made of double-layer electrolytic capacitors, with capacitances of hundreds of farads Used in applications requiring rapid charge/discharge cycles (buses, trains, cranes, elevators) that require burst-mode power delivery. Capacitor as a Storage Element Capacitor has the ability or “capacity” to store energy on its plates in the form of an electrical charge. Current is the time rate of change of charges 𝑞 = 𝐶𝑣 𝒅𝒒 𝒊 𝒕 = 𝒅𝒕 𝒅𝒗 𝒊 𝒕 =𝑪 𝒅𝒕 1 𝑣 𝑡 = න 𝑖 𝑡 𝑑𝑡.. 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝐶 1 2 𝐸 = 𝐶𝑉.. 𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 2 q: Charge in Coulombs C: Capacitance in Coulombs/Volt or Farads DC Analysis: Capacitor Equation > Capacitor is Charging 𝑡=0 𝑣𝑅 (𝑡) + 𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑠.. Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) 𝑅. 𝑖(𝑡)+𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑠 (DC).. Solve for 𝑣𝐶 𝜏𝑣𝐶′ (𝑡) + 𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑠 = 𝑅𝐶 (𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡) This is a first-order differential equation. You’ll learn how to solve DEs in MATH-231 (2nd year) 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑣𝐶 𝑡 = 0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡 < 0, 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 Charging 𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑠 (1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/𝜏 ) Equation 𝑣𝐶 (0) = 0 Switch 𝑣𝐶 () = 0.63 𝑉𝑠 is the time required for the closes capacitor to reach 63% of max 𝑣𝐶 (∞) = 𝑉𝑠 ➔ Unlike the voltage divider, voltages across R and C are not settled instantly Effect of Time Constant = 𝑅𝐶 on Charging Rate vc(t) Examples: R = 10k Ohm C = 1mF → = 0.01 sec R = 10k Ohm 0.63 C = 4mF → = 0.04 sec Larger capacitors take more time to charge as expected but hold more 1 energy 𝐸 = 2 𝐶𝑉 2 = 0.01 = 0.04 t DC Analysis: Capacitor Equation > Capacitor is Discharging A similar expression can be derived when the capacitor is discharging through a resistor R C is now the power source (battery) and R is the load Assuming the voltage across the capacitor to have an initial value of 𝑉𝑖 , then 𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑖 𝑒 −𝑡/𝜏 = 𝑅𝐶 (𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡) Capacitor 𝑣𝐶 𝑡 = 𝑉𝑖 𝑎𝑡 𝑡 = 0 Here, is the time required for the capacitor to discharge 37% of its charge Capacitor Response to a Square Wave Switching between charging and discharging can be realized using a square wave Charging/discharging can be visualized on the VSQ Oscilloscope or Pspice Input Signal Voltage Across C 𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑆𝑄 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 𝑣𝐶 (𝑡) = 𝑉𝑆𝑄 (1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/𝑅𝐶 ) AC Analysis: Capacitive Reactance 𝑑𝑣 𝑿𝑪 Recall that 𝑖 𝑡 = 𝐶 𝑑𝑡 Capacitors are reactors – they react to change in signals (frequency) 1 Reactance (Impedance): 𝑋𝐶 = 𝑗2𝜋𝑓𝐶 𝑋𝐶 is inversely proportional to f f = 0, XC = , i = 0 for dc voltage (capacitor exhibits high impedance at low frequencies) o Capacitors don’t allow direct current to flow (act as open circuit to dc) 01 1 f = , XC = 0, i is high for high frequency |Xc| Current (capacitor exhibits low impedance at high (Reactance) frequencies) o Capacitors act as a short circuit at high frequency Capacitors as reactors can be used to construct electrical filters Allow high frequencies to pass through and block low frequencies f Capacitive Reactance vs Frequency Application – AC to DC Convertor Using RC Circuit as A smoothing Device through charging- discharging effect RC circuit acts as a smoothing device (or a low-pass filter) in the full-wave rectifier Smoothing can be accomplished using a proper value of time constant RC Capacitors Have a Small Resistance Most real capacitors have a small inherent resistance called Effective Serial Resistance (ESR) ESR can be significant in electrolytic capacitors o ESR for ceramic capacitors is between 0.01 and 0.1 ohms. o ESR for aluminum electrolytic capacitors can reach 30 ohms Scope & FUN GEN can be used to measure ESR ESR Can be measured at high frequency since XC ~ 0 C At high frequency, XC ~ 0, VC ~ 0, VCH2 ~ VESR, VR = VCH1 – VCH2 I = VR/R ESR = VCH2/I Additional Reading Introduction to Capacitors, Capacitance and Charge https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/capacitor/cap_1.html Wikipedia (Extensive Coverage) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor Electrolytic Capacitors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolytic_capacitor http://www.capacitorguide.com/electrolytic-capacitor/