Electrical Circuits - 1 (DC) : Course Teacher: Nafiz A. Chisty

Nafiz A. Chisty| Sr. Asst. Professor & Special Assistant, Dept. of EEE/CoE, FE| Annex 4| chisty@aiub.
edu
Electrical Circuits - 1 (DC)
Course Teacher: Nafiz A. Chisty

Senior Assistant Professor & Special Assistant
Department of EEE & CoE
Annex 4, (Ground Floor)
Email: chisty@aiub.edu
Website: http://engg.aiub.edu/faculties/nafiz
Website: www.nachisty.com
Capacitors
Nafiz A. Chisty
Nafiz A. Chisty| Sr. Asst. Professor & Special Assistant, Dept. of EEE/CoE, FE| Annex 4| chisty@aiub.edu
Objectives
 Become familiar with the basic construction of a capacitor and the factors
that affect its ability to store charge on its plates.
 Be able to determine the transient (time-varying) response of a capacitive

network and plot the resulting voltages and currents.
 Understand the impact of combining capacitors in series or parallel and

how to read the nameplate data.
 Develop some familiarity with the use of computer methods to analyze

networks with capacitive elements.
Nafiz A. Chisty
Introduction
 The capacitor has a significant impact on the types of networks that you
will be able to design and analyze.
 Like the resistor, it is a two-terminal device, but its characteristics are

totally different from those of a resistor.
 The capacitor displays its true characteristics only when a change in the
voltage or current is made in the network.
 All the power delivered to a resistor is dissipated in the form of heat.
 An ideal capacitor, however, stores the energy delivered to it in a form

that can be returned to the system.
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE ELECTRIC FIELD

 The electric field is represented by electric flux lines, which are drawn to
indicate the strength of the electric field at any point around any charged
body.
 is used to represent the electric flux.
 The denser the lines of flux, the stronger the electric field.
 The flux per unit area
(flux density) is
represented by the capital
letter D and is determined
by:
If Q increases, flux lines also

increases.
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE ELECTRIC FIELD

 By definition, the electric field at a point is the force acting on a unit
positive charge at that point; that is,
 In Fig. 10.2, the force exerted on a unit (1 coulomb) positive charge by a

charge Q, r meters away, can be determined using Coulomb’s law as
follows:
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE ELECTRIC FIELD
 The result clearly reveals that the electric field strength is directly related to
the size of the charge Q.
 The greater the charge Q, the greater the electric field intensity on a unit
charge at any point in the neighborhood.
 However, the distance is a squared term in the denominator.
 The result is that the greater the distance from the charge Q, the less the
electric field strength, and dramatically so because of the squared term.
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE ELECTRIC FIELD

 For two charges of similar and opposite polarities, the flux distribution
appears as shown in Fig. 10.3.
 In general, electric flux lines always extend from a positively charged body
to a negatively charged body, always extend or terminate perpendicular to
the charged surfaces, and never intersect.
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitor
 It is important to note that the entire flow of charge is through the battery
and resistor—not through the region between the plates.
 In every sense of the definition, there is an open circuit between the plates
of the capacitor.
 This element, constructed simply of two conducting surfaces separated by
the air gap, is called a capacitor.
Nafiz A. Chisty
CAPACITORS
Types of Capacitors
• Capacitors, like
resistors, can be
listed under two
general headings:
fixed and variable.
• The symbol for the
fixed capacitor
appears in Fig. FIG. 10.11 Symbols
10.11(a). for the capacitor: (a)
fixed; (b) variable.
Nafiz A. Chisty
CAPACITORS
Types of Capacitors
• Fixed Capacitors
– Fixed-type capacitors come in all shapes and sizes.
– However, in general, for the same type of
construction and dielectric, the larger the
required capacitance, the larger is the physical
size of the capacitor.
Nafiz A. Chisty
CAPACITORS
Types of Capacitors
FIG. 10.12 Demonstrating

that, in general, for each
type of construction, the
size of a capacitor
increases with the
capacitance value: (a)
electrolytic;
(b) polyester-film;
(c) tantalum.
Nafiz A. Chisty
CAPACITORS
Types of Capacitors
• Variable Capacitors
– For example, in Fig. 10.20(a), the capacitance of the
variable air capacitor is changed by turning the shaft at the
end of the unit.
FIG. 10.20 Variable capacitors: (a) air; (b) air trimmer; (c) ceramic dielectric
compression trimmer. [(a) courtesy of James Millen Manufacturing Co.]
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitance
 Capacitance is a measure of a capacitor’s ability to store charge on its
plates—in other words, its storage capacity.
 In addition, the higher the capacitance of a capacitor, the greater the

amount of charge stored on the plates for the same applied voltage.
A capacitor has a capacitance of 1 farad (F) if 1 coulomb

(C) of charge is deposited on the plates by a potential
difference of 1 volt across its plates.
The farad is named after Michael Faraday, a nineteenth

century English chemist and physicist.
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitance
 The farad is generally too large a measure of capacitance for most

practical applications, so the microfarad (10-6 ) or picofarad (10-12 ) is more
commonly used.
 Different capacitors for the same voltage across their plates will acquire
greater or lesser amounts of charge on their plates, hence the capacitors
have greater or lesser capacitance.
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitance
 Fringing – At the edge of the capacitor plates the flux lines extend outside
the common surface area of the plates.
 The electric field strength between the plates is determined by the voltage
across the plates and the distance between the plates as follows:
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitance
 Dielectric – Insulator of the capacitor
The purpose of the dielectric is to create an electric field to oppose the
electric field setup by free charges on the parallel plates.
Di for “opposing” and electric for “electric field”.
 Dipoles – Formed within the insulator of a capacitor when the electrons of the insulating
material are unable to leave the parent atom and travel to the positive plate of the
capacitor
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitance
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Capacitance
 With different dielectric materials between the same two parallel plates,
different amounts of charge will deposit on the plates.
 Permittivity – The ratio of the flux density to the electric field intensity in
the dielectric. A measure of how easily the dielectric will “permit” the
establishment of flux lines within the dielectric.
 Relative permittivity – Often called the dielectric constant, it is the ratio of

the permittivity of any dielectric to that of a vacuum.
Defining ε0 as the permittivity of air, the relative permittivity of a material

with a permittivity ε is defined by:
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitance
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Capacitance
 For every dielectric there is a potential that, if applied across the dielectric,
will break the bonds within the dielectric and cause current to flow.
 The voltage required per unit length (electric field intensity) to establish
conduction in a dielectric is an indication of its dielectric strength and is
called the breakdown voltage.
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitor
 Larger plates permit an increased area for the storage of charge, so the
area of the plates should be in the numerator of the defining equation.
 The smaller the distance between the plates, the larger the capacitance so
this factor should appear in the numerator of the equation.
 Finally, since higher levels of permittivity result in higher levels of

capacitance, the factor ε should appear in the numerator of the defining
equation.
 The result is the following general equation for capacitance:
Nafiz A. Chisty
Capacitor
 The capacitance of a capacitor with a dielectric having a relative
permittivity of εr is εr times the capacitance using air as the dielectric.
 See Example 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 & 10.5.
Nafiz A. Chisty
TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE

CHARGING PHASE
 The placement of charge on the plates of a capacitor does not occur
instantaneously.
 Transient Period – A period of time where the voltage or current changes
from one steady-state level to another.
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TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE CHARGING PHASE
 The factor Tau, called the time constant of the network, has the units of
time as shown below using some of the basic equations introduced earlier
in this text:
Nafiz A. Chisty

 EXAMPLE 10.6: For the circuit in Fig. 10.35:
•a. Find the mathematical expression for the transient behavior of vC, iC , and
vR if the switch is closed at t = 0 s.
•b. Plot the waveform of vC versus the time constant of the network.
•c. Plot the waveform of vC versus time.
•d. Plot the waveforms of iC and vR versus the time constant of the network.
•e. What is the value of vC at t = 20 ms?
•f. On a practical basis, how much time must pass before we can assume that
the charging phase has passed?
•g. When the charging phase has passed, how much charge is sitting on the
plates?
•h. If the capacitor has a leakage resistance of 10,000 MΩ, what is the initial
leakage current? Once the capacitor is separated from the circuit, how long
will it take to totally discharge, assuming a linear (unchanging) discharge
rate?
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TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS:

THE CHARGING PHASE
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THE CHARGING PHASE
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THE DISCHARGING PHASE
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TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE DISCHARGING PHASE
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TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE DISCHARGING PHASE
 EXAMPLE 10.8: For the circuit in Fig. 10.44:

a. Find the mathematical expressions for the transient behavior of the
voltage vC and the current iC if the capacitor was initially uncharged and
the switch is thrown into position 1 at t = 0 s.
b. Find the mathematical expressions for the voltage vC and the current iC if
the switch is moved to position 2 at t = 10 ms. (Assume that the leakage
resistance of the capacitor is infinite ohms; that is, there is no leakage
current.)
c. Find the mathematical expressions for the voltage vC and the current iC if
the switch is thrown into position 3 at t = 20 ms.
d. Plot the waveforms obtained in parts (a)–(c) on the same time axis using
the defined polarities in Fig. 10.44.
Nafiz A. Chisty
INSTANTANEOUS VALUES
 To determine the voltage (or current) at a particular instant of time that is
not an integral multiple of the time constant (τ)
 Charging: Vi  V f
t   (log e )
vC  V f
 Discharging:
Vi
t   (log e )
vC
Nafiz A. Chisty
THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

 In a network that is not a simple series form, it will be necessary to first find
the Thévenin equivalent circuit for the network external to the capacitive
element.
 Using ETH as the source voltage and RTH as the resistance, the time
constant is τ = RTHC.
Nafiz A. Chisty

 EXAMPLE 10.11: For the network in Fig. 10.57:
•a. Find the mathematical expression for the transient behavior of the voltage
vC and the current iC following the closing of the switch (position 1 at t = 0 s).
•b. Find the mathematical expression for the voltage vC and the current iC as
a function of time if the switch is thrown into position 2 at t = 9 ms.
•c. Draw the resultant waveforms of parts (a) and (b) on the same time axis.
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 EXAMPLE 10.12: The capacitor in Fig. 10.61 is initially charged to 40 V.
Find the mathematical expression for vC after the closing of the switch. Plot
the waveform for vC.
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE CURRENT iC
 Current ic associated with the capacitance C is related to the voltage
across the capacitor by
 Where dvc / dt is a measure of the change in vc in a vanishingly small

period of time.
 The capacitive current is directly related to the rate of change of the
voltage across the capacitor, not the levels of voltage involved.
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE CURRENT iC
 EXAMPLE 10.14: Find the waveform for the average current if the voltage
across a 2 mF capacitor is as shown in Fig. 10.65.
Nafiz A. Chisty
THE CURRENT iC
Nafiz A. Chisty
CAPACITORS IN SERIES AND IN PARALLEL

 Capacitors, like resistors, can be placed in series and in parallel.
 When placed in series, the charge is the same on each capacitor.
 The total capacitance of two capacitors in

•series is:
 The voltage across each capacitor in Fig. 10.67 can be found by first
recognizing that
Nafiz A. Chisty
CAPACITORS IN SERIES AND IN PARALLEL

 For capacitors in parallel, as shown in Fig. 10.68, the voltage is the same
across each capacitor, and the total charge is the sum of that on each
capacitor:
 See Example 10.15, 10.16, 10.17 & 10.18.

Nafiz A. Chisty
ENERGY STORED BY A CAPACITOR

 The ideal capacitor does not dissipate any energy supplied to it. It stores
the energy in the form of an electric field between the conducting surfaces.
 The power curve can be obtained by finding the product of the voltage and
current at selected instants of time and connecting the points obtained.
 WC is the area under the curve.
Nafiz A. Chisty
Reference Books
Introductory Circuit Analysis by Robert L. Boylestad
Nafiz A. Chisty
Thanks
Nafiz A. Chisty

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Nafiz A. Chisty| Sr. Asst. Professor & Special Assistant, Dept. of EEE/CoE, FE| Annex 4| chisty@aiub.

Electrical Circuits - 1 (DC)

Course Teacher: Nafiz A. Chisty

 Be able to determine the transient (time-varying) response of a capacitive

 Understand the impact of combining capacitors in series or parallel and

 Develop some familiarity with the use of computer methods to analyze

 Like the resistor, it is a two-terminal device, but its characteristics are

 All the power delivered to a resistor is dissipated in the form of heat.

 An ideal capacitor, however, stores the energy delivered to it in a form

THE ELECTRIC FIELD

If Q increases, flux lines also

THE ELECTRIC FIELD

 In Fig. 10.2, the force exerted on a unit (1 coulomb) positive charge by a

THE ELECTRIC FIELD

 However, the distance is a squared term in the denominator.

THE ELECTRIC FIELD

FIG. 10.12 Demonstrating

 In addition, the higher the capacitance of a capacitor, the greater the

A capacitor has a capacitance of 1 farad (F) if 1 coulomb

The farad is named after Michael Faraday, a nineteenth

 The farad is generally too large a measure of capacitance for most

 Relative permittivity – Often called the dielectric constant, it is the ratio of

Defining ε0 as the permittivity of air, the relative permittivity of a material

 Finally, since higher levels of permittivity result in higher levels of

 See Example 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 & 10.5.

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE CHARGING PHASE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE CHARGING PHASE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE CHARGING PHASE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE CHARGING PHASE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE CHARGING PHASE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS:

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS:

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS:

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE DISCHARGING PHASE

TRANSIENTS IN CAPACITIVE NETWORKS: THE DISCHARGING PHASE

 EXAMPLE 10.8: For the circuit in Fig. 10.44:

THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

THÉVENIN EQUIVALENT: τ = RThC

 Where dvc / dt is a measure of the change in vc in a vanishingly small

CAPACITORS IN SERIES AND IN PARALLEL

 The total capacitance of two capacitors in

CAPACITORS IN SERIES AND IN PARALLEL

 See Example 10.15, 10.16, 10.17 & 10.18.

ENERGY STORED BY A CAPACITOR

 WC is the area under the curve.

Introductory Circuit Analysis by Robert L. Boylestad

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