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Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) Unit 302 Handout 5
302: Principles of electrical science
Handout 5: Resistance and inductance in series
Learning outcome
The learner will:
2. Understand how different electrical properties can affect electrical circuits, systems and
equipment.
Assessment criteria
The learner can:
2.1 explain the relationship between resistance, inductance, capacitance and impedance
currents.
2.2 determine electrical quantities in alternating current circuits
2.4 calculate power factor
Range
Electrical quantities: Resistance, Inductance, Inductive reactance, Capacitance, Capacitive
reactance, Impedance.
Resistance and inductance in series
In the circuit shown above, the supply voltage will cause a current to flow in the circuit as shown.
The current flowing through the components in the circuit will cause a volt drop across each
component.
The voltage across the resistor will be in phase with the current, whilst the voltage across the
inductor will be out of phase with the current for the reason previously explained.
The voltage will be 90° leading the current in the inductor, or it can be said that the current
lags the voltage by 90°.
Since these voltages are out of phase with each other, the supply voltage cannot be calculated by
simple arithmetic means. This can only be done using Pythagoras’ theorem.
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Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) Unit 302 Handout 5
Phasor diagrams
Since I is the same in all components it must be used as the reference phasor.
Superimposing the phasors on each other, we will get the phasor diagram shown below, from
which the supply voltage and phase angle of the circuit can be calculated.
𝐕𝐒 = √𝐕𝐑𝟐 + 𝐕𝐋𝟐
𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭
𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝚽 =
𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐞
𝐕𝐑
=
𝐕𝐒
= 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 (𝐩𝐟)
𝐀
𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 = 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬
𝐇
It can be seen that the current lags the supply voltage by some angle Φ. This angle is called the
PHASE ANGLE. The larger the resistance the smaller is the angle.
𝑹
𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 =
𝒁
𝐕𝐑
𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝚽 = 𝐩𝐟 =
𝐕𝐒
−𝟏
𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐩𝐟 = 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬
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Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) Unit 302 Handout 5
Example 1
If the voltages across VR and VL are 70V and 120V
respectively:
a) Calculate the supply voltage.
b) Calculate the phase angle of the circuit.
c) Sketch the phasor diagram.
𝐚)
𝐕𝐬 = √𝐕𝐑𝟐 + 𝐕𝐋𝟐
= √𝟕𝟎𝟐 + 𝟏𝟐𝟎𝟐
= √𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟎𝟎
= 𝟏𝟑𝟖. 𝟗𝟐 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐬
𝐛) 𝐕𝐑
𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝚽 =
𝐕𝐒
𝟕𝟎
=
𝟏𝟑𝟖. 𝟗𝟐
= 𝟎. 𝟓𝟎𝟑𝟗 𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 (because it is an inductive circuit)
𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝟎. 𝟓𝟎𝟑𝟗 = 𝟓𝟗. 𝟕𝟒° 𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐜)
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Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) Unit 302 Handout 5
Example 2
An inductor and a resistor are connected in
series across a 230V 50Hz supply. If the voltage
across the resistance is 115V:
a) Calculate the voltage across the inductor
(VL).
b) Calculate the phase angle of the circuit.
c) Draw the phasor diagram with all the
relevant information on it.
𝐚)
Transposing 𝐕𝐬 = √𝐕𝐑𝟐 + 𝐕𝐋𝟐
𝐕𝐋 = √𝐕𝐒𝟐 − 𝐕𝐑𝟐
= √𝟐𝟑𝟎𝟐 − 𝟏𝟏𝟓𝟐
= √𝟑𝟗𝟔𝟕𝟓
= 𝟏𝟗𝟗 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐬
𝐛) 𝐕𝐑
𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝚽 =
𝐕𝐒
𝟏𝟏𝟓
=
𝟐𝟑𝟎
= 𝟎. 𝟓 𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 (because it is an inductive circuit)
𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝟎. 𝟓 = 𝟔𝟎° 𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐜)
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Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) Unit 302 Handout 5
Example 3
A circuit supplied at 230V 50Hz consists of a resistor of 25 and an inductor of 0.05H connected in
series. Calculate:
a) The impedance of the circuit.
b) The phase angle of the current.
c) The current flowing in the circuit.
d) The voltage across each component.
e) The power consumed by the circuit.
𝐚) 𝐗𝐋 = 𝟐𝛑𝐟𝐋
= 𝟐 × 𝟑. 𝟏𝟒 × 𝟓𝟎 × 𝟎. 𝟎𝟓
= 𝟏𝟓. 𝟕𝛀
𝐙 = √𝐑𝟐 + 𝐗 𝟐𝐋
= √𝟐𝟓𝟐 + 𝟏𝟓. 𝟕𝟐
= √𝟖𝟕𝟏. 𝟓
= 𝟐𝟗. 𝟓𝛀
𝐛) 𝐑
𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝚽 =
𝐙
𝟐𝟓
=
𝟐𝟗. 𝟓
= 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓 𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐜𝐨𝐬 −𝟏 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓 = 𝟑𝟏. 𝟏° 𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐜) 𝐕
I =
𝐙
𝟐𝟑𝟎
=
𝟐𝟗. 𝟓
= 𝟕. 𝟖𝐀
𝐝) 𝐕 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐕𝐋 = 𝐈 × 𝐗𝐋
= 𝟕. 𝟖 × 𝟏𝟓. 𝟕
= 𝟏𝟐𝟐. 𝟓𝐕
𝐕 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐕𝐑 = 𝐈×𝐑
= 𝟕. 𝟖 × 𝟐𝟓
= 𝟏𝟗𝟓𝐕
𝐞) 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 = 𝐈𝟐 𝐑
= 𝟕. 𝟖𝟐 × 𝟐𝟓
= 𝟏𝟓𝟐𝟏 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐬 (𝐨𝐫 𝟏. 𝟓𝟐𝟏𝐤𝐖)
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