Chapter 11

AC Power Analysis
(Part 1)
Recall:
• An element’s power is the rate at which the element supplies or absorbs energy:
𝑑𝑤
𝑝=
𝑑𝑡
• Unit of Power is Watt (W).
• By convention, we assign a positive sign to a power value if the element is
absorbing energy, and we assign a negative sign if the element is supplying energy.

Supplies Absorbs
Energy Energy

Absorbs
Energy
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Also, recall: The Power Law
• An element’s power is equal to the product of its voltage times its current:
p = vi
• To get the correct sign (+ or −) on the power value when we use this equation, we
must obey the passive sign convention, which says that we regard the positive
direction for current as current into an element’s positive terminal.

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Recall: Dissipation versus Storage
• Resistors always absorb energy. They never supply energy.
- So a resistor’s power is always positive.
- The energy a resistor absorbs is lost (or “dissipated”) as heat.
• In contrast, inductors and capacitors are energy-storage elements.
At times they may absorb energy, but at other times they may
supply this energy back to the circuit.
- So an inductor’s or capacitor’s power may be positive at one time but
negative at another time.

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In case of AC, depending on the type of load in the network, the
voltage and current can be:
Load Type: Resistor -> In-phase
Load Type: Capacitor -> Current Leading
Load Type: Inductor -> Current Lagging
Instantaneous Power
• Definition: Instantaneous power (in Watts) is the power at any instant
of time. It is a function of “t”.
• Expressing power law as a function of “t” gives:
p(t) = v(t) * i(t)
Since v(t) = Vm cos (wt + θv)
i(t) = Im cos (wt + θi)
Thus, p(t) = VmImcos(wt+ θv)cos(wt+θi) From the trigonometric identity
cosAcosB=(1/2)[cos(A-B) + cos(A+B)]
Therefore, p(t)=(1/2)VmIm[cos(wt+ θv-wt- θi) + cos(wt+ θv + wt + θi)]
=(1/2)VmIm[cos(θv- θi) + cos(2wt+ θv + θi)]
The instantaneous power has two parts:

p(t)=(1/2)VmIm[cos(θv- θi)] + (1/2)VmIm[2wt + θv + θi]

Time-independent part Time-dependent part

DC level
(time-
independent
part)

The negative part of the graph signifies power given out by the circuit
(this is due to the fact that capacitors and inductors store energy)

The positive part of the graph implies the power absorbed by the
circuit.
 Average Power
• Definition: The average power, in watts, is the average of the
instantaneous power over one period of time.
Thus, instantaneous power, p(t) = (1/2)VmIm[cos(θv- θi) + cos(2wt+ θv + θi)]
And, average power, Pavg = (1/2)VmIm[cos(θv- θi)]

• Observe: instantaneous power depends on time or is a function of time where as

average power doesn’t depend on time.
• Also observe: consider the expression of Pavg, θv-θi => phase difference between the
voltage and current. Reducing the phase difference increases the cosine value and thus,
in turn increases the average power.

• Since the above observations are true, we can comment that instantaneous power can
be calculated only when the voltage and current are in time domain. However, average
power can be calculated in both time and frequency domain of voltage and current
Let’s try out the phasor form of the average power
 The absolute value indicates
that the Pavg is always positive
as R is never negative

Comment: A resistive load (R) absorbs power at all times, while a reactive load (L or C) absorbs zero average power.
Example
11.1

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Practice
Example 11.3

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11.4
continued
11.4
continued
 Maximum Average Power Transfer
• When designing a circuit, it is often important to be able to answer
one of the following questions:
• What load should be applied to a system to ensure that the load is receiving
maximum power from the system?
• Conversely:
• For a particular load, what conditions should be imposed on the source to
ensure that it will deliver the maximum power available?
 MAXIMUM POWER TRANSFER THEOREM

Figure shows DC powered Thevenin

equivalent circuit supplying power to
the load

19-Aug-20 EEE 141 22

For AC circuit In rectangular form, the Thevenin impedance ZTH and the load impedance ZL are:
For max avg power transfer, the load
impedance ZL must be equal to the
complex conjugate of the Thevenin
impedance ZTH
Practice example 11.5 and example 11.6 from
the book