CAPACITORS
INTRODUCTION:
A capacitor is a device used to store electric charge. Capacitors
have applications ranging from filtering static out of radio reception to
energy storage in heart defibrillators. Typically, commercial
capacitors have two conducting parts close to one another,but not
touching. When battery terminals are connected to an initially
uncharged capacitors, and equal amount of positive and negative charge,
+Q and -Q, are separated into its two plates. The capacitors remains
neutral overall, but we refer to it as storing a charge Q in this
circumstance.
About Capacitors:
1. Amount of charge Q a capacitor can store
2. Self-capacitance
3. Charging & Discharging of a capacitor
4. Energy in a Capacitor
5. Types of capacitors
6. Uses of Capacitors
Symbol of capacitor:
Amount of Charge Q A Capacitor
Can strore
The amount of charge Q a capacitor can store depends on two major
factors-the voltage applied and the capacitor’s physical characteristics,
such as its size. In Figure given below each electric field line starts on
an individual positive and ends on a negative one, so that there will be
more field lines if there is more charge. The electric field strength is
thus, directly proportional to Q.
The field is proportional to the charge:
EαQ
We know that,
V=Ed
So, VαE
Hence, VαQ
Removing sign of proportionality we get,
Q=CV
Where C = capacitance of the parallel plate
capacitor.
The above figure represents the electric field lines of parallel plate
Capacitor, as always, start on positive and end on negative charges.
The unit of capacitance is the farad(F), named for Michael
Faraday(1791-1867), an English scientist who contributed to the fields
of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Since capacitance is charge
per unit voltage, we see that a farad is a coulomb per volt.
1C/1V=1F
A 1F(one farad) would be able to store 1 coulomb with the
application of only 1 volt. One farad is, thus a very large capacitance .
Typical capacitors range from fractions of a picofarad to millifarads.
Self-Capacitance:
Self-capacitance property is related to the
capacitors especially to the isolated conductor to raise its potential
difference to one volt. Generally normal conductors will have mutual
capacitance. This is also measured in the S.I units radius ‘R’ is given by.
C=4πԑₒR
Self capacitance values of some standard devices are given below.
For the top plate of a Van de Graff generator which is having radius
of 20cm self-capacitance is 22.24pF.
For the planet EARTH self-capacitance is 710μF.
Charging & Discharging of a capacitor
Let us assume that the capacitor, which is shown in the Figure below in
the circuit, is completely discharged. In this circuit the capacitor value is
100μF and the supply voltage applied to this circuit is 12V.
Now the switch which is connected to the capacitor in the circuit is
moved to the point A. Then the
Capacitor starts charging with
the charging current I.
The charging voltage across
the capacitor is equal to the
supply voltage when the capacitor
is fully charged i.e. VS=VC=12V.
In the case of ideal capacitors the
charge remains constant on the capacitor but in the case of general
capacitors the fully charged capacitors is slowly discharged because of
its leakage current.
When the switch is moved to the position B, then the capacitor slowly
discharges by switching on the lamp which is connected in the circuit.
Energy in a Capacitor
Energy is the amount of some work against the electro-static field to
charge the capacitor fully. In the capacitor at initial stage of charging,
the charge Q transferred between the plates from one plate to another
plate.
This charge either +Q or -Q is interchanged between two plates of a
capacitor.After transformation of some charge an electric field is formed
between the plates, in that case we need ssome extra work to charge the
capacitor fully.
This extra work is called as the energy stored in a capacitor, the energy
is measured in the units of Joules(J). Now we see the equations for this
energy and work.
dW=V dQ
dW=(Q/C)dQ
After integration of the above equation is
W=(Q^2)/2C
W=((CV)^2)/2C
W=(CV^2)/2 Joules
Now we calculate the energy stored in a capacitor of capacitance 200μF
which operate with voltage of 12V
W=(200×10⁻⁶×12×12)/2=14.4mJ
Types of capacitors
Film Capacitors:
Film capacitors comprising of a generally expansive group of
capacitors with the distinction being in their dielectric properties.
Film capacitors are available in almost any value and voltages as high as
1500 volts.
They come in tolerance from 10% to 0.01%.
There are two types of film capacitors i.e.
Radial lead type and Axial lead type.
The electrodes of film capacitors may be
metalized aluminium or zinc.
It use polystyrene, polycarbonate or
Teflon as their dielectrics.
It can be used in AC voltage applications
and they have much more stable electrical parameters.
Ceramic Capacitors:
Ceramic capacitors are used in high frequency circuits such
as audio to RF.
Ceramic capacitors are the vest choice for high frequency compensation
in audio circuits.
These capacitors are also called as disc capacitors.
Ceramic capacitors are made by
coating two sides of a small
porcelainor ceramic disc with silver
are then stacked together to make a
capacitor.
One can make both capacitance in
ceramic capacitors.
They come in values from a few Pico
farads to 1 microfarad.
The voltage range is from a few volts up to many thousands of volts.
Ceramics are inexpansive to manufacture and they come with several
dielectrics types.
Electrolytic Capacitors:
It is most prevalently used capacitors which have a
wide tolerance capacity.
Electrolytic capacitors are available with working voltages up to about
500V.
There are two types of electrolytic capacitors, Tantalum and Aluminium.
Tantalum capacitors have ordinarily better exhibition, higher value.
The dielectric properties of tantalum oxide is much superior to those of
aluminium oxide.
It has an easier leakage current and better capacitance strength which
makes them suitable for obstructing, decoupling, filtering applications.
The thickness of the aluminium oxide film and heightened breakdown
voltage gives the capacitor exceptionally elevated capacitance values for
their size.
Uses of Capacitors
Capacitors are devices which store electrical charge. They are a basic
component of electronics and have a host of various applications. The
most common use for capacitors is energy storage. Additional uses
include power conditioning, signal coupling or decoupling, electronic
noise filtering and remote sensing. Because of its varied applications,
capacitors are used in a wide range of industries and have become a
vital part of everyday life.
Capacitors for energy storage:
Capacitors have been used to store electrical energy since the late 18th
century. Benjamin Franklin was the first to coin the phrase “battery” for
a series of capacitors in an energy store application. Individual
capacitors generally do not hold a great deal of energy, providing only
enough power for electronic devices to use during temporary power
outages or when they need additional power. For example, large
capacitors are included in car audio systems to provide extra power to
amplifiers when needed.
Capacitors for power
conditioning:
One important application of
capacitors is the conditioning of
power supplies. Capacitors allow AC
signals to pass but block DC signals
when they are charged. They can
effectively split these two signal types,
cleaning the supply of power. This
effect has been exploited to separate
or decouple different parts of
electrical circuits to reduce noise
which could lead to reduction of efficiency. Capacitors are also used in-
utility substations to counteract inductive loading introduced by
transmission lines.
Capacitors are sensors:
Capacitors are used as sensors to measure a variety of things,
including air humidity, fuel levels and mechanical strain. The
capacitance of a device is dependent on its structure. Changes in the
structure can be measured as a loss or gain of capacitance. Two aspects
of a capacitor are used in sensing applications: the distance between
parallel plates and the material between them. The former is used to
detect mechanical changes such as acceleration and pressure. Even
minute changes in the material between the plates can be enough to alter
the capacitance of the device, an effect exploited when sensing air
humidity.
Capacitors for signal processing:
Capacitors have found increasingly advanced applications in
information technology. Dynamic random access memory(DRAM)
devices use capacitors to represent binary information as bits. The
device reads one value when the capacitor is charged and another when
discharged. Charge coupled devices (CCDs) use capacitors in an
analogue form. Capacitors are also used in conjunction with inductors to
tune circuits to particular frequencies, an effect exploited by radio
receivers, speakers and analog equalizers.
Capacitors for energy storage:
Capacitors have been used to store
electrical energy since the late 18th
century. Benjamin Franklin was the first
to coin the phrase “battery” for a series
of capacitors in an energy store
application. Individual capacitors
generally do not hold a great deal of
energy, providing only enough power for electronic devices to use
during temporary power outages or when they need additional power.
For example, large capacitors are included in car audio systems to
provide extra power to amplifiers when needed.
Capacitors for power conditioning:
One important application of capacitors is the conditioning of
power supplies. Capacitors allow AC
signals to pass but block DC signals
when they are charged. They can
effectively split these two signal types,
cleaning the supply of power. This
effect has been exploited to separate or
decouple different parts of electrical
circuits to reduce noise which could
lead to reduction of efficiency.
Capacitors are also used in-utility
substations to counteract inductive
loading introduced by transmission
lines.
Bibliography
www.openstacks.com
www.slideshare.com
www.googleimages.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.scribd.org
www.techwalla.com
www.quora.com
