Alternating Current Circuit

Akintunde Dayo
 Outline
• Introduction
• Root Mean Square (RMS) Values
• A.C Circuits Containing Single
Elements
• RLC Series Circuit
• RLC Series Resonance
• Power in A.C Circuits
• LRC Parallel Circuit
• Summary of Electric Circuit
 Introduction
Today, a “grid” of AC electrical
distribution systems spans the Nigeria
and other countries. Any device that
plugs into an electric outlet uses an AC
circuit. In this chapter, you will learn
some of the basic techniques for
analyzing AC circuits.

Chapter Goal: To understand and

apply basic techniques of AC circuit
analysis.
 Introduction
• What is alternating current?

• In alternating current (AC), the

flow of electric charge periodically
reverses direction, whereas
in direct current (DC, also dc), the
flow of electric charge is only in
one direction.
• Alternating current circuit

• An alternating voltage or current is

current or voltage which is an
oscillating function of time. The
general expression for the
alternating voltage is
 Root Mean Square (rms) Values
• An alternating voltage or current is current or Meters in AC. circuits read the effective, or
voltage which is an oscillating function of root mean square (rms) values of the current
time. and voltage
v  Vo sin t  Vo sin 2ft
where Vo is the amplitude of the voltage in volts,
f is the frequency in hertz,
1
  2f T
f

Meters in a.c. circuits read the effective, or

root mean square (rms) values of the current
and voltage. The rms values are
Vo Io
Vrms  I rms 
2 2 where Io (or Im) and Vo (or Vm) is the
maximum value of current and voltage
In physics and engineering, a phasor (a portmanteau of phase vector), is a
complex number representing a sinusoidal function whose amplitude (A),
angular frequency (ω), and initial phase (θ) are time-invariant.

It is related to a more general concept called analytic

representation, which decomposes a sinusoid into the
product of a complex constant and a factor depending
on time and frequency.

The complex constant, which depends on amplitude and

phase, is known as a phasor, or complex amplitude.

A Phasor Diagram in these module will be use to

understand the vectorial sinusoidal varying voltages /
currents through the projection of a vector, with
length equal to the amplitude, onto a horizontal axis.
 A.C Circuits Containing Single Elements
• An a.c circuit can contain either resistors (R),
capacitors (C) or inductors (L).
Resistor in ac The output voltage and current for
this arrangement is

v R  Vo sin 2ft

Vo
i  sin 2ft  I o sin 2ft
R

The Equations 1 & 2 show that the

current and the voltage are in phase
 Resistor in AC Circuit
In order to visualize the phase relationships between the current and voltage in ac
circuits,
we define phasors – vectors whose length is the maximum voltage or current,
and which rotate around an origin with the angular speed of the oscillating
current.
AC Power Dissipated in a Resistive Circuit
Note: Voltage and current are in phase (Both V and I reaches zero, minimum and
maximum value at the same time), and Ohm’s s law applies for effective currents
and voltages. Law applies for effective currents and voltages as shown in figure
4
AC power Dissipated in a resistive circuit
The instantaneous power dissipated in the resistor is

But From trigonometry, and if is maximum, then is equal to zero. So

 Capacitor in ac
A ground fault circuit interrupter can cut off
the current in a short circuit within a
millisecond.
 Capacitor in AC
The output voltage for this arrangement is
q
v C   Vo sin t
C
where q is the charge accumulated on the
capacitor, vC is the voltage across the
capacitor where we have written I o  CVo
q  CVo sin t using trigonometry
which Vo 1
dq identity   XC
i  CVo cos t implies I o C
dt
 
i  CVo sin  t  
 2 The quantity is known as 1
  the capacitive reactance, XC 

i  I o sin t  

cos  sin   
measured in ohms.
C
 2  2
 Capacitor in AC
q  
Equations vC 
C
 Vo sin t and i  I o sin   t  
 2 

shows that the current in the circuit leads the

voltage across the capacity by or one quarter
cycle to reach its maximum value.

Physically, this means that the current reaches

its peaks a quarter of a cycle before the
voltage reaches its peaks.
 AC Power in a Capacitive Circuit
The instantaneous power supplied to the capacitor is given as

Since is maximum them , the average power supplied to the capacitor over one cycle is
equal to zero.

We can recall that a capacitors store energy on their conductive plates in the form of an
electrical charge.

When a capacitor is connected across a DC supply voltage it charges up to the value of

the applied voltage at a rate determined by its time constant.

But When a capacitor is connected to a AC circuit it continuously charges and discharges

itself due to the Alternative nature of the Current Flow.
 Inductor in AC
As the current flows through the inductor, there is
an induced EMF. in the inductor to oppose the
change of flux through it.

The e.m.f of the source must be equal to the

induced e.m.f. Thus, we have

di  
L  v L  Vo sin t cos t   sin  t   Vo
dt  2 Io 
L
Vo using  
di  sin tdt i  I o sin  t  
L 2
 Vo
 L  X L
t
Vo Vo Io
i   sin tdt   cos t Vo  
L 0 L i sin  t  
L  2
 Inductor in AC
The quantity X L  L is known as the
inductive reactance, measured in ohms.


Equations vL  Vo sin t and i  I o sin t  
 2

that the voltage leads the current in the inductor

by , as illustrated

Physically, this means that the voltage reaches

its peaks a quarter of a cycle before the current
reaches its peaks.
 AC Power in an Inductive Circuit
The instantaneous power supplied to the
inductor is given by

Since is maximum them , the average

power supplied to the inductor over one
cycle is equal to zero.
RCL Series Circuit
 LRC Series Circuit
Thus, from Pythagoras theorem, the applied voltage V
is given by

Where

Iflags on by an angle
Z is the impedance of the circuit. It has the units of
ohms and it varies with frequency f.
 LRC Series Circuit
The voltages across the components are out
of phase as shown in the phasor diagram.
They need to be added as vectors to get the
total voltage.
The voltages across L and C can simply
be subtracted from each other (180
degrees out of phase).
19
 Phasor Diagram

Vo  VR   VL  VC 
2 2

 I o R   I o X L  I o X C 
2 2

 I o R 2  X L  X C 
2

We can define an " impedance" Z (a quantity analogous to resistenace)

Vo
 R 2  X L  X C 
2
Z
Io
We can also determine the phase angle from the phasor diagram :
VL  VC I o X L  I o X C X L  X C  XL  XC 
tan       tan 
1

VR Io R R  R  20
LRC Series Circuit

v  Vo sin t
i  I o sin t   
where
I o  Z Vo
R 2  X L  X C 
2
Z 
 X L  X C  
  tan 1

 R 

21
 Power in an AC Circuit
Use : sin t     sin t cos   cos t sin 
 P  I oVo sin 2 t cos   I oVo sin t cos t sin 
(This is the instantaneous power delivered by the source)
Average Power (take time average) :
Pavg  I oVo sin 2 t cos   I oVo sin t cos t sin 

1 1
sin t 
2 sin t cos t  sin 2t  0
2 2
1 I o Vo
 Pavg  I oVo cos   cos   I rmsVrms cos 
2 2 2 22
 Power in an AC Circuit
“Power factor”
 Pavg  I rmsVrms cos 
VR VR
 cos   
Vo Vrms 2

For the resistor : VR  I o R  2 I rms R

VR 2 I rms R 2
 Pavg  I rmsVrms  I rms  I rms R
2 Vrms 2

2
Pavg  I rms R means : Average power delivered by the source is converted to
internal energy in the resistor (resistor heats up). 23
 Implications of power factor
“Power factor”
 Pavg  I rms Vrms cos 

Example1 :
Only resistor  cos   cos(0)  1  Pavg  I rms Vrms

Example 2 :
Only inductor  cos   cos(90)  0  Pavg  0
(an AC power source, on average, does not deliver any power to a pure inductor)
Example 3 :
Only capacitor  cos   cos( 90)  0  Pavg  0
(an AC power source, on average, does not deliver any power to a pure capacitor)
24
Resonance in a Series RLC Circuit – the current
If a charged capacitor is connected across an inductor, the system
will oscillate indefinitely in the absence of resistance.
 Resonance in a Series RLC Circuit – the current
Vrms Vrms Vrms
I rms   
Z R 2  X L  X C 
2 2
 1 
R 2   L  
  C 
 I rms is frequency dependent and has a maximum for   0
 1  1
 L -  0   0 
 C  LC
1
XL  X C
L - 1
Also : tan    C    0 at 0 
R R LC
1
For 0  : Current has a maximum value and current and the
LC
applied voltage are in phase.
0 is called the resonance frequency of the circuit.
26
When R is very small, we speak of an LC circuit. The
energy in an LC circuit oscillates, at frequency between the
inductor and the capacitor, with some being dissipated in R
(some resistance is unavoidable).

This is called an LC oscillation or an electromagnetic

oscillation. Not only does the charge oscillate back and
forth, but so does the energy, which oscillates between
being stored in the electric field of the capacitor and in the
magnetic field of the inductor.

Electric resonance is used in many circuits. Radio and TV

sets, for example, use resonant circuits for tuning in a
station. Many frequencies reach the circuit from the
antenna, but a significant current flows only for frequencies
at or near the resonant frequency chosen (the station you
want). Either L or C
Resonance in a Series RLC Circuit – the current
In a.c. circuits, we define admittance (Y) as the LRC Parallel Circuit
reciprocal of the impedance Z.
YT  Y1  Y2  Y3
The SI unit for admittance is Siemens, which
has the symbol S.
1 1 1 1
  
Z T Z1 Z 2 Z 3
Admittance is a measure of how well an AC.
or, since Z = 1/Y,
circuit will admit, or allow, current to flow in
The reciprocal of reactance (1/X) is called
the circuit.
susceptance and is a measure of how
susceptible an element is to the passage of
The total admittance of a circuit is the sum of
current through it.
the parallel admittances.
Susceptance is also measured in siemens
The total impedance ZT of the circuit is
and is represented by the capital letter B.
therefore 1/YT.
 LRC Parallel Circuit
In a parallel circuit, the voltage is the
same across all branches, that is, VS. The
total current IS is given as

IS  I 2
R 
 I L  IC 2

where IL is greater than IC. If IC is greater

than IL, the formula becomes

I S  I R2  I C  I L 
2
Summary of AC Circuit
 Class Quiz

A resistance is in a parallel circuit with a 0.2H pure inductance and a 40nF pure capacitance. The
combination is placed across a 30V, 650Hz power supply. Find
I. The current in the circuit.
II. The phase angle between the source voltage and the current.
III. The power loss in the circuit.
IV. The voltmeter reading across each element of the circuit.