3/22/2011 Capacitors and AC

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Fundamentals:

Capacitors and AC
The Circuit

When we apply ac to a capacitor as shown to the right, we know that

the capacitor will draw current to oppose any change in voltage across
itself. But that doesn't tell us how much opposition the capacitor will offer,
or how much current it will draw. So how can we determine just how much
current will flow through C?

We find the answer by going back to the original equation for capacitive
current, ic, which we introduced when we looked at RC time constants with
an applied dc voltage. This equation uses differential calculus, and is written as:

dvC
iC = C
dt

Now we are applying an ac voltage to the capacitor. Therefore, vc is a sine wave of some
frequency, not a fixed dc voltage. Technically:

vc = vp sin(2πft) = vp sin(ωt)

In this type of equation, the Greek letter omega (ω) represents the frequency in radians per
second, where ω = 2πf. vp is the amplitude of the ac generator or other source. So how do we find
the derivative of vp sin(ωt) to determine iC?

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Deriving iC

Since these pages are not intended to be a rigorous treatment of mathematics (especially calculus),
we will not go into a process of evolving the derivative of a sine function. Instead, we will simply fall
back on the following general expression from a book of math tables:

d du
sin(u) = cos(u)
dx dx

In this expression, "x" is the generalized independent variable. For our specific case, this will be "t,"
for time. The variable "u" is the generalized expression or function of "x" which is used as the argument
of the sine function. Making these substitutions, we get:

d
iC = C vp sin(ωt)
dt

dωt
= vp C cos(ωt)
dt

= vp C ω cos(ωt)

= ωC vp cos(ωt)

The factor ωC, or 2πfC, amounts to a "constant of proportionality" that relates the voltage and
current in the capacitor. Note that it depends on both the value of the capacitance and the frequency
of the sine wave. As either factor is increased, the capacitor current will increase for the same applied
voltage. Note that this is exactly the opposite behavior from a resistance. Can we make use of this
factor in a similar way?

Voltage and Current

The derived equation above for the alternating current in

a capacitor tells us several important things. One of these is
that the when the applied ac voltage is a sine wave, as
shown in red in the graph to the right, the resulting current
is actually shifted in phase by 90° — it is a cosine wave, as
shown in blue in the graph. The current actually leads the applied voltage by ¼ cycle.

This actually fits what we know about the capacitor, which is that it will draw current in its attempt
to oppose any change in voltage across its terminals. Thus, the capacitor reacts to the applied ac
voltage by drawing current ahead of the applied voltage changes.

As to that factor of ωC (or 2πfC), if we invert it and use the factor 1/ωC or 1/2πfC, it will behave

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like the capacitive equivalent of resistance. We can't properly call it resistance, of course, but because
the capacitor does react to the application of an ac voltage, we can properly call it a reactance. This
is typically designated with the letter X, and capacitive reactance is designated XC. Mathematically:

XC = 1/2πfC = 1/ωC

Capacitive reactance is measured in ohms, just like

resistance, and works like resistance in many ways.
However, its value depends on frequency as well as on
the value of the capacitance. If we plot a graph of XC
versus the product ωC using logarithmic scales, we get
the graph shown to the right. This graph extends
indefinitely in both directions, to cover any value of C
and ω. It is not possible to get an XC of zero with any
finite frequency, other than by setting C = 0.

In a purely capacitive circuit, we can use XC for the

various capacitors just as if they were resistors. Ohm's
Law still applies to such circuits. However, as we will
see on another page a little later on, we cannot simply add values of XC and R. That phase shift
introduced by the capacitor adds a bit of a complication that must be dealt with. We'll see how when
we reach that page.

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