Alternating Current Circuits

9-1
Purpose
• This chapter provides detailed
information about alternating current
circuits
• It describes the effects of AC on
inductors and capacitors including
resonance

9-2
Introduction to alternating current
circuits
• Inductors and capacitors behave
differently when they are connected to
an AC supply compared to when they
are connected to a DC supply
• Ohm’s Law still works for instantaneous
values, but the effects of time and
frequency mean that phasors are a
necessary tool for AC circuit analysis

9-3
Introduction to alternating current circuits

(cont.)
• AC power is dependent on the phase
angle which adds the complication of
power factor and power factor correction
• Alternating current using sine waves is the
basis of worldwide electricity distribution
• The convention is to use RMS values
when discussing AC, unless stated
otherwise

9-4
Resistance in AC circuits
• Figure 9.1 shows that the voltage and
current are in phase for a resistive load
connected to an AC supply

9-5
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)

• Ohm’s Law is applicable to the

resistive load connected to an AC
supply—that is:
IRMS = VRMS / R
• By plotting the instantaneous values of
power, a power curve has been drawn

9-6
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)

• Points to note regarding the power curve

include:
– the power curve is sinusoidal in shape
– there are no negative power values
– the power curve completed two cycles for
every cycle of current or voltage
– the area under the power curve is equal to
half of the value obtained by multiplying the
peak values of voltage and current

9-7
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)

• The result is that, if RMS values of

voltage and current are used, the power
equations are:
P = VRMS IRMS
P = IRMS2 R
P = VRMS2 / R

9-8
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)

9-9
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)

• At power-line frequencies resistors are

assumed to be ‘pure’ or non-inductive
resistance. Any inductance that does
occur is negligible in most cases
• Examples of resistive loads include
incandescent lamps, radiators and
electric jug elements

9-10
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)

• At higher frequencies inductance may

impact on the circuit, if this is undesirable
the resistor can be wound to negate any
inductance (Figure 9.2)

9-11
Resistance in AC circuits (cont.)
• Capacitive effects must be dealt with by
spacing the conductors far enough apart
that the capacitance becomes negligible
• Since the current and voltage are in phase
for resistive AC circuits, Ohm’s Law is
applicable
• Kirchoff’s Current and Voltage Laws
also apply
• For purely resistive AC circuits, the rules for
DC circuits continue to work

9-12
Inductance in AC circuits

• A change in current flow in an inductive

circuit results in an induced EMF that
opposes the change in current flow
• In an inductive AC circuit the current is
continually changing, thus an induced
EMF is always opposing the change in
current flow
• This opposition to current flow is called
inductive reactance

9-13
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)
• The current flow is always lagging
behind the applied voltage by 90oE in a
purely inductive circuit

9-14
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)
• The value of inductive reactance in a circuit
depends on the inductance and the rate of
change of current flow, which depends on the
supply frequency.
XL = 2πfL
Where:
XL = The inductive reactance, in ohms
f = The frequency, in hertz
L = The inductance, in henry

9-15
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

9-16
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

• Ohm’s Law applies in an inductive AC

circuit but the opposition to current flow
is the inductive reactance:
I = V / XL
Where:
I = The current, in amperes
V = The voltage, in volts
XL = The inductive reactance, in ohms
PowerPoint slides t/a Jenneson and Harper, Electrical Principles for the Electrical Trades 6e 9-17
Slides prepared by Andrew O’Connell
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

9-18
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

Exercise:
A 230 V 50 Hz supply is applied to a
choke coil of negligible resistance and
the current through the coil is 2.5 A.
Determine the inductance of the coil.

9-19
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

Solution:

9-20
 Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)
• When inductors are connected in series to
an AC supply the total inductive reactance is
the sum of the inductive reactance of each of
the individual inductors.
XLtotal = XL1 + XL2 + XL3 + ….. + XLn

• Similarly, the total inductance can be

calculated:
Ltotal = L1 + L2 + L3 + ….. + Ln

9-21
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

Exercise:
Two inductors, one with an inductive
reactance of 11 Ω, and the second
with an inductive reactance of 12 Ω
are connected in series across a 230
V 50 Hz supply.
(a) What is the total inductive reactance?
(b) What is the total current?

9-22
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

Solution:

9-23
 Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

• When inductors are connected in parallel to

an AC supply the reciprocal of the total
inductive reactance is the sum of the
reciprocal of the inductive reactance of each
of the individual inductors:
1/XLtotal = 1/XL1 + 1/XL2 + 1/XL3 + ….. + 1/XLn
• Similarly, the total inductance can be
calculated:
1/Ltotal = 1/L1 + 1/L2 + 1/L3 + ….. + 1/Ln

9-24
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

9-25
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

• The average power consumed by a pure

inductor is zero
• As the current begins to flow in the
inductor the energy is used to produce
the magnetic field
• When the current falls the magnetic field
collapses and energy is returned to the
supply
• This is shown in Figure 9.3

9-26
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

9-27
Inductance in AC circuits (cont.)

• Notice that the power curve is

sinusoidal in shape (when the voltage
and current are sinusoidal), it has twice
the frequency of the applied EMF and
that the power returned to the supply is
shown below the axis

9-28
Capacitors in AC circuits
• The charging and discharging of a purely
capacitive circuit when it is connected to
an AC supply causes the current to lead
the supply voltage by 90oE

9-29
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

• A capacitor reacts to the connected

supply by either charging or discharging
• The current that flows is a displacement
current, the value of which is affected by
the supply voltage and frequency and
the capacity of the capacitor
• The capacitor has the property of
capacitive reactance

9-30
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

XC = 1/(2πfC)
Where:
XC = The capacitive reactance, in ohms
f = The frequency, in hertz
C = The capacitance, in farads

9-31
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

• Ohm’s Law applies in a capacitive AC

circuit but the opposition to current flow is
the capacitive reactance:

I = V / XC
Where:
I = The current, in amperes
V = The voltage, in volts
XC = The capacitive reactance, in ohms
9-32
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

Exercise:
Calculate the current drawn by a 16 μF
capacitor when connected to a 230 V
50 Hz supply.

9-33
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

Solution:

9-34
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

• Connecting capacitors in series results

in an effective increase in the plate
separation
• This reduces the capacitance and
therefore increases the capacitive
reactance
XCtotal = XC1 + XC2 + XC3 + ….. + XCn

9-35
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

9-36
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

• Connecting capacitors in parallel results

in an effective increase in the plate area.
This increases the capacitance and
therefore decreases the capacitive
reactance.

1/XCtotal = 1/XC1 + 1/XC2 + 1/XC3 + ….. + 1/XCn

9-37
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

9-38
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

• The average power consumed by a pure

capacitor is zero
• As the current begins to flow in the
capacitor the energy is stored in the
capacitor
• When the current falls the capacitor
returns stored energy to the supply
• This is shown in Figure 9.4

9-39
Capacitors in AC circuits (cont.)

9-40
Quick quiz
1. What is the relationship between the voltage and
current for a resistive load connected to an AC
supply?
2. What is the opposition to AC current due to
inductance called?
3. What determines the inductive reactance in a
circuit?
4. What determines the capacitive reactance in a
circuit?
5. How much power is consumed by a purely
reactive AC circuit?

9-41
Quick quiz answers
1. The voltage and current are in phase for a
resistive load connected to an AC supply
2. Inductive reactance
3. Supply frequency and inductance
(XL = 2πfL)
4. Supply frequency and capacitance
(XC = 1/(2πfC))
5. Average power consumed by a purely
reactive AC circuit is zero

9-42
 Credits to: Andrew O’Connell
Electrical Principles for the Electrical Trades 6e

9-43