Capacitors

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitor
• Electrical device that can store an electrical
charge.
– Creates an electrostatic field internally which
stores energy
– Measure of the energy storing ability is called
capacitance.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitors
• Constructed of two
conductors (plates)
separated by an
insulator (dielectric)
• Individual connection
leads are attached to
each plate for circuit
connections.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitor Charging
• Closing switch allows
current to flow.
• The current that flows
is actually the free
electrons on each
plate.
– Current cannot flow
through the dielectric

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitor Charging
• When capacitor is
fully charged, the
energy stored will
equal the applied
voltage
– opposite polarity
– no further current flow.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitor Discharging

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

Factors Determining Capacitance
• Plate area (A)
– the larger the plate area, the more electrons that can be
stored
• Distance between the plates (t)
– determined by the thickness of the dielectric material
• Dielectric relative permittivity (KE)
– some materials concentrate the electric field better than
others

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Relative Permittivity (KE)
• Permittivity is the measure of the ease with which
lines of electrical force are established within a
material.
– Electrical equivalent of magnetic permeability
• Relative permittivity is the ratio of a materials
permittivity to that of a vacuum
• Permittivity of a vacuum is 8.85 x 10-12 farads per
meter (f/m)

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Dielectric Constant (K)
• Insulating dielectric
concentrates the electric
lines of force
• Different dielectric
materials can change the
capacitance
• Vacuum is the least
effective dielectric
– all other material
compared to it

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Deriving Relative Permittivity
from Dielectric Constant
• All other materials are better than a vacuum
for concentrating lines of force.
• KE = K x 8.85 x 10-12
– KE is the relative permittivity
– K is the dielectric constant of the dielectric
material
– 8.85 x 10-12 is the dielectric constant of a
vacuum
Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ
 Equation for Capacitance
KE A
C 
t
• Where:
– C is capacitance (in farads)
– KE is the relative permittivity
– A is the area of one plate
– t is the thickness of the dielectric

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Breakdown Voltage
• All capacitors have a maximum operating voltage
– function of the dielectric material
• strength per unit measure
• thickness
– sometimes referred to as the working voltage
• If the breakdown voltage is exceeded, arcing will occur
between the plates through the dielectric
– short circuit develops
– capacitor is destroyed.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitors in Parallel
• Capacitors in parallel add like resistors in
series.
• CT = C1 + C2 + C3 + C4 + ….. Cn
• By placing capacitor in parallel, the effect is
the same as increasing the plate area.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitors in Parallel
• Since
KA
C 
t
• C is directly
proportional to A
• Parallel capacitors
effectively increase A,
therefore, C increases

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitors in Series
• Capacitors in series add like resistors in parallel

1
CT 
1 1 1 1
  
C1 C2 C3 Cn
• By placing capacitors is series, the effect is to
reduce the plate area to that of the smallest and
increasing the distance between them at the same
time.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitors in Series
• Total plate area (A)
decreased to same as
capacitor A
• distance between the
plates (t) increases to
the sum of the
individual caps.
• If A  and t , then C
must 

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitor Voltage Dividers
• As with resistors, the sum of all the voltage
“drops” across series capacitors will equal
the applied voltage.
– Kirchoff’s voltage law
• Charged capacitors act as a voltage divider
• Voltage divider equation is applicable.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ

 Capacitor Voltage Dividers

CT
VCx   VS
Cx

• Where:
– VCx = voltage charge on capacitor x
– CT = total series capacitance
– Cx = value of capacitor x
– VS = applied voltage
Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ
 Capacitor Voltage Dividers
• Find:
– CT
– VC1
– VC2
– VC3
VS = 24 V • Note that the smallest
capacitor has the
largest voltage charge.

Dick Spurlock ITT Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ