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L6 Capacitors

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13 views24 pages

L6 Capacitors

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zaytxn
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Capacitors (continued)

TARGET AUDIENCE: 1 ST YEAR BACHELOR’S IN MEDICAL


LAB. TECHNOLOGY
Introduction
 Several capacitors may be connected
 together in a variety of applications.
 Multiple connections of capacitors act
 like a single equivalent capacitor.

 The total capacitance of this equivalent single capacitor


 depends both on the individual capacitors

 and how they are connected.

 There are two simple and common types of connections,


 called series and parallel,

 for which we can easily calculate the total capacitance.

 Certain more complicated connections


 can also be related to combinations of series and parallel.
Capacitance in Series

 Figure 1a shows a series connection


 of three capacitors with a voltage applied.

 As for any capacitor,


 the capacitance of the combination
 is related to charge and voltage by

C=Q/V
Figure 1
 In Figure 1,
 opposite charges of magnitude Q flow to either side
 of the originally uncharged combination

 of capacitors when the voltage V is applied.

 Conservation of charge requires


 that equal-magnitude charges be created
 on the plates of the individual capacitors,

 since charge is only being separated

 in these originally neutral devices.


 The end result is that
 the combination resembles a single capacitor
 with an effective plate separation

 greater than that of the individual capacitors alone.

 Larger plate separation means smaller capacitance.

 It is a general feature
 of series connections of capacitors that
 the total capacitance is less than

 any of the individual capacitances.


 We can find an expression for the total capacitance
 by considering the voltage across
 the individual capacitors shown in Figure 1.

 Solving C= Q/V or for V gives V=Q/C.


 The voltages across the individual capacitors are
 thus
V1=Q/C1,V2=Q/C2, and V3=Q/C3

 The total voltage is the sum of the individual voltages:


V = V1 + V2 +V3.
 Now, calling the total capacitance CS
 for series capacitance, consider that

V=Q/CS=V1+V2+V3
 Entering the expressions for V1, V2, and V3,
 we get
Q/CS=Q/C1+Q/C2+Q/C3
 Cancelling the Qs,
 we obtain the equation for the total capacitance
 in series CS to be

1/CS=1/C1+1/C2+1/C3+…,
 where “…” indicates that

 the expression is valid for

 any number of capacitors connected in series.

 An expression of this form


 always results in a total capacitance CS
 that is less than any of the individual capacitances C1, C2,.
Total Capacitance in Series, Cs

Total capacitance in series:

1/CS=1/C1+1/C2+1/C3+…
EXAMPLE 1. WHAT IS THE SERIES CAPACITANCE?

Find the total capacitance for three capacitors connected in series,


given their individual capacitances are 1.000, 5.000, and 8.000 µF.

Strategy
 With the given information, the total capacitance can be found
using the equation for capacitance in series.

Solution
 Entering the given capacitances into the expression for 1/CS gives
1/CS=1/C1+1/C2+1/C3
1/CS=1/1.000μF+1/5.000μF+1/8.000μF=1.325μF

 Inverting to find CS yields

CS=1/1.325μF=0.755μF
Discussion
 The total series capacitance Cs is
 less than the smallest individual capacitance, as
promised.

 In series connections of capacitors,


 the sum is less than the parts.

 In fact, it is less than any individual.


Capacitors in Parallel
 Figure 2a shows a parallel connection
 of three capacitors with a voltage applied.

 Here the total capacitance is easier to find


 than in the series case.

 To find the equivalent total capacitance Cp,


 we first note that the voltage across each capacitor
 is V,

 the same as that of the source,

 since they are connected directly to it

 through a conductor.
 Conductors are equipotentials,
 and so the voltage across the capacitors
 is the same as that across the voltage source.

 Thus the capacitors have the same charges on them


 as they would have

 if connected individually to the voltage source.

 The total charge Q is the sum of the individual charges:


Q = Q1 + Q2 + Q3.
Figure 2
 Using the relationship Q = CV,
 we see that the total charge is
Q = CpV,
 and the individual charges are
Q1 = C1V, Q2 = C2V, and Q3 = C3V.

 Entering these into the previous equation gives


CpV = C1V + C2V + C3V.

 Cancelling V from the equation,


 we obtain the equation for
 the total capacitance in parallel

Cp: Cp = C1 + C2 + C3 + ….
 Total capacitance in parallel is simply
the sum of the individual capacitances.

 Again the “…” indicates the expression is valid


 for any number of capacitors connected in parallel.

 So, for example,
 if the capacitors in Example 1
 were connected in parallel,

 their capacitance would be

Cp = 1.000 µF + 5.000 µF + 8.000 µF = 14.000 µF.

 The equivalent capacitor for a parallel connection


 has an effectively larger plate area
 and, thus, a larger capacitance, as illustrated in Figure 2b.
Total capacitance in parallel

Total capacitance in parallel

Cp = C1 + C2 + C3 + …
Combinations

 More complicated connections of capacitors


 can sometimes be combinations of series and parallel;
 See Figure 3

 To find the total capacitance of such combinations,


 we identify series and parallel parts,
 compute their capacitances,

 and then find the total.


Figure 3
EXAMPLE 2. A MIXTURE OF SERIES AND PARALLEL
CAPACITANCE

 Find the total capacitance of the combination of capacitors


shown in Figure 3. Assume the capacitances in Figure 3 are
known to three decimal places (C1 = 1.000 µF, C2 = 5.000
µF, and C3 = 8.000 µF), and round your answer to three
decimal places.

Strategy
 To find the total capacitance,
 we first identify which capacitors are in series

 and which are in parallel.

 Capacitors C1 and C2 are in series.


 Their combination, labelled CS in the figure,
 is in parallel with C3.
Solution
 Since C1 and C2 are in series,
 their total capacitance is given by

1/CS=1/C1+1/C2+1/C3.
 Entering their values into the equation gives
1/CS=1/C1+1/C2=1/1.000μF+1/5.000μF=1.200μF
 Inverting gives CS = 0.833 µF.

 This equivalent series capacitance is


 in parallel with the third capacitor;
 thus, the total is the sum

Ctot=CS+C3=0.833μF+8.000μF =8.833μF

.
Discussion
 This technique of analyzing
 the combinations of capacitors piece by piece

 until a total is obtained

 can be applied to larger combinations of capacitors


References

 Basic Electrical Science and Technology


by K. Murugesh Kumar
 Electronics Fundamentals & Applications
by D. Chattopadhyay and P.C. Rakshit
 www.circuitglobe.com – images reference
 www.courses.lumenlearning.com

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