1

Electrical Engineering &

Telecommunications
Lecturer:
Ted Spooner
Capacitors and Inductors Capacitors and Inductors
Elec1111 Elec1111
Rm124A EE email: e.spooner@unsw.edu.au
two two- -terminal circuit elements terminal circuit elements
passive passive
receive energy, store it, receive energy, store it,
deliver it back to circuit deliver it back to circuit
Capacitors
Capacitor connected to a battery.
elastic
membrane
Fluid flow analogy
for capacitance
FLOW FLOW
PISTON SPRING
PRESSURE
+ -
FLOW i FLOW i
+ VOLTAGE v -
+
_
v
i
Capacitor Capacitor
Circuit symbol Circuit symbol
C
passive
convention
2
Capacitance Capacitance
measure of ability to store energy measure of ability to store energy
in the form of separated charge in the form of separated charge
coulomb per volt or farad (F) coulomb per volt or farad (F)
v C q =
i i- -v v characteristic characteristic
linear linear relationship relationship
q C v =
dq
i
dt
=
dv
i C
dt
=
initial time initial time
1
t
v id
C

=

dv
i C
dt
=
0
0
1 1
t t
t
v id id
C C

= +

( )
0
0
1
t
t
v id v t
C
= +
initial initial
condition condition
A
d
A
C
d

=
12
0
8.854 10

= = Air or vacuum:
F/m
permittivity
Nylon:
0
2 =
Energy storage in capacitor Energy storage in capacitor
dv
p vi v C
dt

= =


t t
C
dv
w pdt vC d
d

= =

( )
( )
( )
( )
2
1
2
v t
v t
v
v
C vdv Cv

= =

( ) ( )
2
1
2
C
w t Cv t =
=0
Capacitor voltage cannot change Capacitor voltage cannot change
instantaneously. instantaneously.
( ) ( )
2
1
2
C
w t Cv t =
cannot change cannot change
instantaneously instantaneously
(discontinuously) (discontinuously)
q Cv =
dv
i C
dt
=
3
10V v
+
_
R
t=0
C
( ) ( )
0 0 10 v v V
+
= =
t (s)
0 1 2 3 4
v (V)
1
t (s)
1 2 3 4
i (A)
0.5
-0.5
-1
0
dv
i C
dt
=
t (s)
1 2 3 4
p (W)
0.5
-0.5
-1
0
p vi =
t (s)
1 2 3 4
w (J )
0.5
0
( ) ( )
2
1
2
C
w t Cv t =
1-F capacitor
+
_
i
1
v
C
1
i
i
N capacitors in parallel Equivalent
i
2
C
2
i
N
C
N
+
_
v
C
p
1 2
1
N
p N n
n
C C C C C
=
= + + + =

K
dv
i C
dt
= Proof: use KCL and
+v
1
+v
2
+
v
N
C
1
i
i
N capacitors in series Equivalent
C
2
C
N
v C
s
v
_ _ _
1 1 2
1 1 1 1 1
N
n s N n
C C C C C
=
= + + + =

K
( )
0
0
1
t
t
v id v t
C
= +

Proof: use KVL and

4
eq
C mF =
Ref.:Dorf
10
19
eq
C mF =
Ref.:Dorf
4
Important capacitor equations Important capacitor equations
dv
i C
dt
=
1
1 1
N
n s n
C C
=
=

1
N
p n
n
C C
=
=

2
1
2
w Cv =
Voltage changes
continuously
v C q =
Inductors Inductors
Coil of wire connected to a current
source.
Ref.:Dorf
Model of the
inductor.
magnetic flux
Ref.:Dorf
Inductance Inductance
measure of ability to store energy measure of ability to store energy
in the form of a magnetic field in the form of a magnetic field
Unit of inductance is Unit of inductance is henry henry (H) (H)
total flux
Linkage
current inductance
Li N =
Inductor Inductor
Circuit symbol Circuit symbol
+
_
v
i
L
5
i i- -v v characteristic characteristic
linear linear relationship relationship
N Li =
d
v N
dt

=
di
v L
dt
=
Faradays law
initial time initial time
1
t
i vd
L

=

di
v L
dt
=
0
0
1 1
t t
t
i vd vd
L L

= +

( )
0
0
1
t
t
i vd i t
L
= +
initial initial
condition condition
Coil wound as a tight helix on a core.
2
N A
L =
l
mean length of flux
path through core
permeability
7
0
4 10 / H m

=
Ref.:Dorf
Energy storage in inductor Energy storage in inductor
di
p vi L i
dt

= =


t t
L
di
w pdt iL d
d

= =

( )
( )
( )
( )
2
1
2
i t
i t
i
i
L idi Li

= =

( ) ( )
2
1
2
L
w t Li t =
=0
Inductor current cannot change Inductor current cannot change
instantaneously. instantaneously.
( ) ( )
2
1
2
L
w t Li t =
cannot change cannot change
instantaneously instantaneously
(discontinuously) (discontinuously)
N Li =
di
v L
dt
=
t (s)
0 1 2 3 4
2
i (A)
1
v (V)
t (s)
1 2 3 4
1
-1
0
di
v L
dt
=
1-H inductor
t (s)
1 2 3 4
p (W)
2
-1
0
1
-2
p vi =
t (s) 1 2 3 4
w (J )
2
0
0.5
2
1
2
w Li =
6
+
_
i
1
v
L
1 i
(a) N inductors in parallel (b) Equivalent
i
2
L
2
i
N
L
N
L
p
i
+
_
v
1 1 2
1 1 1 1 1
N
n p N n
L L L L L
=
= + + + =

K
( )
0
0
1
t
t
i vd i t
L
= +

Proof: use KCL and

_ _ _
+v
1
+v
2
+v
N
L
1
i i
(a) N inductors in series (b) Equivalent
L
2
L
N
v
L
s v
1 2
1
N
s N n
n
L L L L L
=
= + + + =

K
di
v L
dt
= Proof: use KVL and
Important inductor equations Important inductor equations
di
v L
dt
=
1
1 1
N
n p n
L L
=
=

1
N
s n
n
L L
=
=

2
1
2
w Li =
Current changes
continuously
Li N =
Steady State condition of Steady State condition of
switched circuits switched circuits
If only dc sources present and when circuit If only dc sources present and when circuit
attains steady state, all branch currents and attains steady state, all branch currents and
voltages are constant. voltages are constant.
Hence: Hence:
(1) inductor becomes a short circuit. (1) inductor becomes a short circuit.
(2) capacitor becomes an open circuit. (2) capacitor becomes an open circuit.
_
+
v
C
i
L
t=0
10V
2 3
_
+
v
C
i
L
t<0
10V
2 3
( )
10
0 2
5
L
i A

= =
( )
3
0 10 6
5
C
v V

= =


( ) ( )
0 0 2
L L
i i A
+
= =
( ) ( )
0 0 6
C C
v v V
+
= =
i
L
t=0
2A 2
2
( )
0 1
L
i A

=
( ) ( )
0 0 1
L L
i i A
+
= =
7
( ) ( )
0 0 0
L L
i i
+
= =
( ) ( )
0 0 2
C C
v v V
+
= =
Ref.:Dorf
( )
0 0
L
i
+
=
( )
0 2
C
v V
+
=
C
C
dv
i C
dt
=
( ) ( )
0 0
C C
dv i
dt C
+ +
=
L
L
di
v L
dt
=
( ) ( )
0 0
L L
di v
dt L
+ +
=
( ) ( ) ( )
0 0 0 0
C L L
v i v
+ + +
+ + =
( ) ( )
( )
0 10
0 0 0
2
C
C L
v
i i
+
+ +

+ + =

( )
0 2
L
v V
+
=

( )
0 6
C
i A
+
=