Electrical Measurement and Electronic Instruments

Prof. Avishek Chatterjee

Department of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Lecture - 07
Electrostatic Instrument

So, we shall talk about another type of instruments which is called Electrostatic
Instruments. Previously you would recall that we have talked about electro dynamic
instruments and then the name automatically suggests that there must be something
called electrostatic instruments because, there is something electro dynamic. So, why
should there be not something called electro static ok. So, let us see the working
principle of this instrument.

(Refer Slide Time: 00:56)

This instrument is this is basically upset of a parallel plate capacitor, parallel plate
variable capacitor ok. So, it has pair of parallel plates which may be like this so, maybe I
have one plate here. So, this is one plate and see this is attached to a spindle which can
rotate ok. So, this spindle can rotate on a bearing. So, this is bearing and below this we
have another plate which is like this, let me bring these two plates bit closer ok. So, and
this plate so, this is not attached to this spindle. So, this second plate is not attached to
this spindle.
So, this is let me it is it from here; so, this is not attached to this spindle. This may be
attached to to the frame of the instrument. So, this is fixed, this is movable and these two
plates have can have some common overlapping area because, this one can turn and this
is fixed ok. So, let me be maybe I can demonstrate you this.

(Refer Slide Time: 05:20)

So, we may go to the overhead camera. So, let me take two plates let me make two plates
metallic plates although this is paper just paper now, but assume this is metal and one of
them is attached to a spindle like this, this can turn. And I have another plate which I
hold in my hand and this one, this plate cannot turn ok. So, one plate can turn another
cannot turn and as it turns you see the overlapping area between them changes. Here we
have maximum overlap, here no overlap and here partial overlap so, this is the
arrangement ok; so is the arrangement ok.

Now, what will happen if I apply say a voltage between these two between these two
plates? ok. So now, this is positive and this is negative side. So, plus charge will
accumulate here and minus charge will accumulate here. So, this also acts like a parallel
plate capacitor and then this plus and minus charges they will attract each other. So
therefore, this movable plate we will try to come closer to this fixed plate due to
attraction. And, what kind of attraction? This is electrostatic attraction between two
charged plate plates electrostatic attraction; that is why this instrument is called
electrostatic instrument ok.
The previous instrument which we call electro dynamic instrument there the force of
attraction was between a current carrying conduct conductor, so there the charge was
movable ok. So, that is why that was electro dynamic force, here it is electrostatic force.
So, then due to this force this movable plate will come closer to this fixed plate and if I
now attach a spring as always to stop or to hold back this movable plate, then depending
on the force of attraction the amount of movement will be determined ok. So, this is
called electro static instrument once again if, so normally we would like to find out the
equation or expression for torque ok.

The idea here is once again very simple, the force or the torque because they are
proportional to each other. So, the torque which is proportional to the electrostatic force
is proportional to Q square plus Q minus Q, the force between them is proportional to
these two charges is proportional to Q square and Q you know this is given by so, you
know that we know that the capacitance C is Q by V. So, we can write Q is equal to so,
this is proportional to V square.

Therefore, if this voltage is V, then the torque T D will be proportional to this square and
the controlling torque spring torque T C as always is equal to K theta according to
Hook’s law. So, here if we write T D is equal to sum K 1 V square, the proportionality
constant is K 1, then we can equate T D equal to T C at equilibrium; that means, when
the two forces are equal and opposite cancelling each other. So, then we can write T D
equals K 1 V square and T C equals K theta. So, theta will be K 1 by K V square so, this
is proportional to V square.

So, once again theta will indicate V square and or we can if it is time varying voltage or
V rms square for AC time varying voltage ok. Now, one last thing that I would like to
mention here we will not prove it now, is the fact that T D we have already said is
proportional to V square and this proportionality constant is given by d C d theta half d C
d theta. So, this is the proportionality constant multiplied by V square so, this is equal to
T D. So, we are not proving this expression now, but let us understand what it means,
what this term d C d theta means.
(Refer Slide Time: 12:42)

So, we know that there is so, these two plates, these two parallel plates act like a
capacitor. The two parallel plates act like a capacitor and you can find the expression of
the capacitance C; this will be proportional to the overlapping area A multiplied by the
dielectric constant of the medium divided by L; L is the distance between the two plates.
Where so, so we write A is equal to overlapping area and L is the distance between the
plates.

So, this overlapping area A changes as this movable plate rotates. So, we can write A as a
function of theta ok. So, A is a function of theta therefore, C is also a function of theta.
As theta changes overlapping area between them changes and therefore, capacitance also
changes. If overlap increases capacitance will increase, if overlap decreases the
capacitors will decrease. Therefore, C is a function of theta and therefore, we can take a
derivative of C with respect to theta. And, this is the proportionality constant in this
expression ok.

So, this is the meaning of this equation, we have not proved this equation in this video,
but we should understand the meaning of this expression. And maybe we can do a very
quick exercise. So, our small exercise say assume that, that these are quarter circles both
these plates are quarter circles. So, the total plate area will be how much? If this radius is
R ok, if this radius is R then this area will be pi R square by 4 ok. So, this is the total area
and overlap. So therefore, overlapping area will be, so assume that theta equal to 0 is the
position where, the plates do not overlap their edges are side by side if that is the case.

So, like so, theta equal to 0 is the position when we have one plate here and another plate
here. So, exactly no overlap 0 overlap see and then say this is fixed, this is movable and
this this can move. So, this is the reaction of theta and I measure theta equal to 0 from
this position. So, if so then the overlapping area can be written as this total area
multiplied by theta divided by pi by 2 90 degree. Because, if it rotates by 90 degree, if
this plate rotates by 90 degree we will have full overlap; if it is 0 degree we will have 0
overlap ok.

So, then we can write this as this is theta R square divided by 2 ok. So therefore, now the
capacitance C which is equal to overlapping area theta R square by 2 multiplied by the
dielectric constant epsilon divided by the length or distance between the plates L. So, this
will be C function of theta and then d C d theta this will be equal to; so, this is linear in
terms of theta. So, we will have R square epsilon by 2 L ok, so this is very simple. So,
here we have talked about this equation and we have tried to understand this equation,
but we have not yet proved this equation.

Thank you.