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Laboratory Exercise 6

INDUCTIVE REACTANCE

Performance Objectives

A. Measure the ffect of inductive reactance on current flow.

B. Measure the ffect of change in frequency on circuit current.

C. Verify that impedance is the combined effect of inductive reactance and resistance.

D. Demonstrate the phase (lead-lag) relationship between circuit current and applied voltage in a series
RL circuit.

Basic Concepts

1. Inductive reactance is produced by the opposition of a coil to a changing current.

2. Inductive reactance is directly proportional to the inductance of the coil and frequency of the current
flowing through it.

3. Inductive reactance in series add; in parallel the total is reduced.

4. Impedance of an RL circuit is equal to circuit voltage divided by circuit current.

5. In a pure inductance, voltage leads current by 90 degrees.

Introductory Information

IN the Laboratory Exercise on Inductance, you learned that inductance can be defined by the opposition
it presents to alternating current. This opposition is in the form of a counter emf (cemf) produced by the
self inductance of the coil. When you think of inductance as being an opposition to a change in current
flow, it is apparent that it represents some sort of resistance to the power source. This apparent
resistance is known as inductive reactance (XL) and is measured in ohms. The formula for calculating XL is
as follows:

Where

From the formula you can see that XL increases as the frequency of the circuit current or the inductance
of the coil increases. The expressions 2πf represents the rate of change of current, (it is actually the
angular velocity of a rotating vector; 2π radians = 360 degrees). Since inductive reactance depends on
the frequency, any value of XL calculated represents the reactance only for that particular frequency.

The effects of inductive reactance are additive in a series circuit. In a parallel circuit the current divides
in an inversely proportional manner, thus the effects of inductive reactance divide proportionately. The
formulas for finding the total inductive reactance of series and parallel circuits are as follows:
Most circuits contain resistance as well as reactance. The total opposition to current flow in a circuit
containing resistance and reactance is referred to as impedance (Z) and is measured in ohms. You
cannot add resistance and reactance directly; you must combine them vectorially.

The relationship of current, voltage and cemf in a pure inductance (no dc resistance) is shown in Fig. 6-1,
assuming a sine wave input signal. When the coil is first energized, the full source voltage is immediately
felt across the coil and current flow begins to build up. The rate of change of current flow is maximum at
this time and, thus, maximum cemf is generated immediately. The cemf, which is in opposition to the
applied voltage, tries to prevent the current build-up. The result is that it takes the current one-fourth of
a complete cycle to reach its maximum value. This sequence continues throughout the cycle and current
lags the applied voltage by one-fourth of a cycle at all times. In terms of angular degrees associated with
the generation of a sine wave, it can be said that voltage leads current by 90 degrees in a pure
inductance (an inductive circuit with no resistance). This angular displacement is known as the phase
angle. The phase angle can be represented by the symbol θ which is the Greek letter Theta.

The effects of inductive reactance are felt in nearly every electrical-electronic circuit using
electromagnetism. This includes motors, generators, transformers and inductors. Energy contained in
the magnetic field of any inductive device is returned to the circuit, therefore no power is consumed in
the inductive reactance. The inductive reactance of a coil is used in a circuit where high impedance and
low power consumption are required, such as filters, phase shifting networks, impedance coupled
circuits and tuned tank circuits.

Additional Reading

See bibliography at the back of this manual for additional reading material related to this subject.

Equipment and Materials

AF Generator

Oscilloscope

Electronic VOM

Practical Electronics Trainer

L1 – 10 mH

R1 – 470 ohms, 1W

S1 – SPST, Component Module

S2 – SPDT, Component Module

Konnect-All board

Exercise Procedure

Objective A. Measure the effect of inductive reactance on current flow.


1.a) Connect the circuit shown in Fig. 6-2. Connect the GND terminal of the AF Generator to the low
input of jack of the ac milliammeter.

b) Set the AF Generator to a frequency of 10kHz.

c) Close the switch S1 and adjust the output voltage at 0.5Vac.

d) Measure the total circuit current IT.

IT = ________ mAac

The current should be approximately one milliampere.

e) Open the switch S1 and connect coil L1 into your circuit in series with R1 as shown in Fig. 6-3.

g) Now measure total current IT again.

IT = ________ mAac

The current should be approximately zero point six four milliampres.

h) Open S1 and rearrange your circuit to that shown in Fig. 6-4, connecting coil L1 in parallel with R1.

i) Close S1 and readjust the output voltage to 0.5Vac.

j) Measure total circuit current IT.

IT = ________ mAac

You should measure approximately one point three three milliampers.

k) Open S1 and reduce the output voltage to zero.

l) Compare the values of current measured in steps (g) and (j) with the current measured in step (d). Did
total current increase or decrease when the coil was added in series with the resistor?

……………………………………..

Did total current increase or decrease when the coil was added in parallel with the resistor?

……………………………………..

m) Would you say the inductive reactance in series and parallel circuits acts similar to resistance?

……………………………………..

Inductive reactance in series and parallel act the same as resistors connected in series and parallel
regardless of whether the circuit contains only inductive reactance or a combination of resistance and
inductive reactance. You must remember, however, that the inductive reactance and resistance in
combination form a complex impedance which has magnitude and phase angle. They do not combine
arithmetically, but must be added vectorially. You can find the magnitude mathematically using the
following equations for impedance Z.
Objective B. Measure the effect of change in frequency on a circuit current.

2.a) Connect the circuit of Fig. 6-3 again. Check to see that the AF Generator is set to a frequency of
10kHz.

b) Close S1 and adjust the output voltage to 0.5Vac.

c) Measure total circuit current IT and record the value in the appropriate entry of Table 6-1. Your value
of IT should be the same as that measured in Procedure 1 (g).

d) Increase the AF Generator frequency in 10kHz steps from 10kHz to 50kHz as indicated in Table 6-1.
For each frequency increase, readjust the output voltage to 0.5Vac and then measure record IT for each
step.

e) Open S1 and return the output voltage to zero.

Frequency (kHz) Current (mAac)


10
20
30
40
50

f) Examine Table 6-1. Does current decrease as frequency increases? …………………………….

g) Underline the correct answers. As frequency increases in a series RL circuit, inductive reactance
(increases, decreases) and circuit current (increases, decreases).

Inductive reactance is directly proportional to frequency and the inductive reactance of the coil. The
increase in inductive reactance and the resulting decrease in circuit current was caused by the increase in
frequency.

h) If coil L1 has been connected in parallel with R1 in this Procedure and the frequency increased, would
circuit current increase or decrease? ………………………

Current would decrease. Connecting L1 and R1 in parallel would reduce the total impedance, allowing a
greater initial current flow. However, as frequency increased, XL would increase, causing a corresponding
increase in parallel impedance and reduction in total current.

Objective C. Verify that impedance is the combined effect of inductive reactance and resistance.

3.a) Calculate the inductive reactance of L1 (10mH) for a frequency of 10kHz.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
XL = …………………… ohms

Your calculated value should be six hundred twenty eight ohms.

b) add the value of XL calculated in step (a) to the color code value of R1.

Zapparent = XL + R1

………………………………….. Zapprent = …..................................................... ohms

Your answer should be one thousand ninety eight ohms.

c) Calculate the total impedance of the circuit shown in Fig. 6-3. Use the Ohm’s Law formula, an applied
voltage of 0.5Vac, and the value of IT measured in Procedure 1 (g).

ZT = Eapparent / IT

……………………………….. ZT = ………………………………………………… ohms

Your calculation will depend on the measured value of IT, which depends on measurement and
component tolerances. Your calculation may range from seven hundred five to eight hundred sixty three
ohms.

d) Compare the results of steps (b) and (c). Are they in agreement? ………………………………

e) Is the total impedance of a series RL circuit determined by the arithmetic sum of the resistance and
inductive reactance? ………………………………….

No. The magnitude of the total impedance of a series RL circuit is determined by the vector sum of R and
XL. You can verify this by using the values of R and XL of step (b) and the equation paring your answer
with step (c). The total impedance of a parallel RL circuit is determined by the product divided by the
vector sum of R and XL.

Objective D. Demonstrate the phase (lead-lag) relationship between circuit current and applied
voltage in a series RL circuit.

4.a) Connect the circuit shown in Fig. 6-5.

b) Adjust the AF Generator to a frequency of 10kHz.

c) Adjust the output voltage of the AF Generator to 0.5Vac

d) Set switch S2 to position A.

e) Set up the oscilloscope for external triggering. Adjust the controls until you get a sing wave display
similar to Fig. 6-6 (a). The triggering level should be adjusted so that with switch S2 in position A, the
oscilloscope triggers just as the voltage sine wave crosses the X-axis at the left hand vertical line on the
calibrated graticule. A single complete sine wave cycle of 360 degrees should now be displayed across
10 cm on the calibrated graticule. Each cm on the X-axis represents 36 degrees.

f) Set S2 to position B. On the oscilloscope display, the point where the waveform crosses the
intersection of the X and Y axes should shift to the right approximately 1.4 cm similar to that shown in
Fig. 6-6 (b). A decrease in waveform amplitude may occur, but this is unimportant to the measurement.
g) The amount of shift in the oscilloscope waveform represents the angle Theta by which the circuit
current is out-of-phase with the applied voltage and lags the voltage waveform. Convert this shift from
centimeters to degrees and record the value of theta.

Θ = …………………………degrees

The phase angle should measure about fifty three degrees. Synchronizing the oscilloscope with the
applied circuit voltage (the same signal that is applied to the vertical input) sets up a reference point on
the oscilloscope display. The current through R1 produces a voltage drop across R1 that is out-of-phase
with the applied voltage. When the signal across R1 is applied to the vertical input the display shifts to
the right by the amount of phase displacement between the two signals. This shift in the display occurs
because the oscilloscope remains synchronized with the applied circuit voltage (if triggers at the same
point on the applied input voltage waveform as before). If the waveform starts out below the X-axis, it
indicates a lagging phase angle (the zero crossing point obviously starts later for the current waveforms,
as shown in Fig. 6-6) b) if it starts out above the X-axis, it indicates a leading phase angle.

h) Reduce the output voltage of the AF Generator to zero.

i) Underline the correct answer. In a series RL circuit, current (leads, lags) the applied voltage.

j) Is current flow in a series RL circuit the same or different in all parts of the circuit? …………………………..

Summary

In this Laboratory Exercise you measured current flow in circuits containing resistance, resistance and
inductance in series, and resistance and inductance in parallel. You found that added inductive
reactance in a series RL circuit caused a decrease in current flow, while in a parallel RL circuit it produced
an increase in current flow. From this you concluded that inductive reactance is similar to resistance
except that resistance and reactance cannon be added arithmetically. Then, you demonstrated the
effect of frequency on inductive reactance and current flow. By increasing the frequency of the applied
voltage and noting the resulting decrease in current flow, you determined that inductive reactance
increases with frequency.

Next, you verified that circuit impedance magnitude is equal to the applied voltage divided by the circuit
current. Finally, you measured the phase relationship of current and voltage in an inductive circuit and
verified that current lags voltage.

Quiz

1. Which of the following statements best describes inductive reactance?

a. It is the cemf generated by a coil

b. It is the self-inductance of a coil

c. It is the opposition of a coil to alternating current.

d. It is the opposition of a coil to direct current.

2. Inductive resistance is directly proportional to:


a. Frequency

b. Inductance

c. Neither a nor b

d. Both a and b

3. Inductive reactance may be changed by changing:

a. The voltage

b. The current

c. The frequency

d. None of the above

4. The total current in a series RL circuit increases when:

a. The applied voltage increases

b. The frequency of the applied voltage decreases

c. The inductance decreases

d. All of the above

5. The impedance magnitude of a series RL circuit is equal to:

a. Applied voltage divided by circuit current

b. Coil voltage divided by circuit current

c. Resistor voltage divided by circuit current

d. Sum of the resistance and the reactance

6. In an RL series circuit:

a. Voltage and current are 180 degrees out of phase

b. Voltage and current are in phase

c. Voltage leads current

d. Voltage lags current

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