CAP1 Capacitors Copyright 2002 Kilowatt Classroom, LLC.

Schematic Symbols

Capacitors
Capacitor Polarized DC Capacitor Adjustable Capacitor
Plus sign indicates proper Tuning and trimming
connection polarity very small values only

Oil-filled AC Capacitor Non-polarized Mica Polarized Electrolytic

Note lead polarity mark Adjustable Capacitor
17.5 mfd @ 280 volts 0.1 mfd @ 100 volts 10 - 30 picofarads
470 mfd @ 50 VDC

Capacitor Characteristics

• A capacitor consists of two plates separated by an insulating medium known as a dielectric. (A dielectric is
similar to an insulator but is more electrically “flexible”. All dielectrics are insulators, but not all insulators
make good dielectric material.)

• A capacitor is a device which stores an electrostatic charge.

CAUTION: All power capacitors must be fully discharged before working on the equipment!

• Capacitors are rated in Farads - named after the scientist Michael Faraday. By definition: a one (1) Farad
capacitor will store a one (1) Coulomb charge when connected across a one (1) Volt potential. The farad is a
very large quantity, so capacitors are rated in picofarads (10-12 farads), nanofarads (10-9 farads ), or micro-
farads (10-6 farads). The abbreviations pf for picofarads, nf for nanofarads, and mf or mfd for microfarads, are
commonly used.

• Electrolytic capacitors can be applied to DC circuits only and must be connected in the circuit with the correct
polarity in order for the dielectric material to properly form. The capacitor case will indicate the required lead
polarity. With a electrolytic capacitor it is possible to manufacture capacitors of large microfarad ratings (up
to several thousand microfarads) in a relatively small case.

CAUTION: Improperly connected electrolytic capacitors may explode!

• Capacitors used on AC systems must be of the non-polarized type.

• All capacitors have a “working voltage” voltage which cannot be exceeded.

• In an electrical circuit a capacitor opposes a change in voltage.

• In an electrical circuit a capacitor will block Direct Current (DC) and will pass Alternating Current (AC).

• Many electrical components, other than capacitors, exhibit a certain amount of capacitance. For example:
high voltage cable which has an inner conductor and an outer shield can act as a capacitor and will store a con-
siderable charge. (The cable conductor acts as one capacitor plate, the shield becomes the second capacitor
plate, and the cable insulation constitutes the capacitor dielectric.)
Sheet 1

CAUTION: All cables, motor windings, and other components which can exhibit capacitance must be discharged
before working on the components or associated circuitry!
CAP2 Capacitors Copyright 2002 Kilowatt Classroom, LLC.

Factors Determining Capacitance

The formula for determining the capacitance of a capacitor is given below left. A table of some typical capacitor
dielectric materials along with the approximate dielectric constant K is included below right. As the dielectric con-
stant K is in the numerator of the formula, the capacitance C of the capacitor is directly proportional to this value.
An increase in the value of K will result in an increase in capacitance.

Capacitors
Dielectric Constants
Approx
Kind of Dielectric K
Value

Capacitance Parallel Plate Capacitor

Air (at atmospheric Pressure) 1.0
K S (N - 1)
Bakelite 5.0
C = 0.224
d Cambric 4.0

Where Fiber 5.0

Glass 8.0
C = Capacitance in picofarads
Mica 6.0
K = Dielectric Constant
Paraffin Coated Paper 3.5
S = Area of one plate in square inches Porcelain 6.0

N = Number of plates Pyrex 4.5

Quartz 5.0
d = Distance between plates in inches
Rubber 3.0
Wood 5.0

These values are approximate since true values de-

pend on grade of material used , moisture content,
temperature, and frequency characteristics.

The distance d between the plates is in the denominator of the capacitance formula, so the capacitance C will be
inversely proportional to this value. The adjustable trimmer capacitor pictured below left has a mica dielectric
material and the capacitance is varied by adjusting the screws which change the distance d between the plates.
Tightening the screws brings the plates closer together, causing the capacitance to increase; loosening the screws
allows the plates to separate, resulting in a decrease in capacitance. A non-metallic tuning wand must be used to
prevent affecting the adjustment.

Trimmer Capacitor Tuning Capacitor

Sheet 2

The capacitance of a capacitor is directly proportional to the effective area S of the plates. The tuning capacitor
pictured above right utilizes this formula parameter for achieving a change in capacitance. As the shaft is rotated,
a change in the plate mesh between the rotor and stator plates will result in a change in the plate area.
CAP3 Capacitors Copyright 2002 Kilowatt Classroom, LLC.

RC Time Constant

The length of time it takes for a capacitor to charge to 63.2% of the supply voltage is the RC Time Constant. (The 63.2%
figure is used because the charging curve, as shown below, is logarithmic and it is difficult to tell exactly when the capacitor
is fully charged - the 63.2% value can be more readily determined.) The Time Constant Formula is: T = RC
Where: T = the time is seconds to reach 63.2% charged, R = the resistance in Ohms, and C = the capacitance in farads.

Capacitors
For electronic work, a more usable set of values (making a decimal point change) is: T = time in milliseconds,
R = resistance in k ohms, and C=capacitance in microfarads. It takes approximately five (5) time constants for a capacitor to
become fully charged.

RC Charge and Discharge Circuit

The circuit at the right can be used to illustrate the
RC Time Constant.
When the switch is moved to the Charge position,
the capacitor C begins to charge through the resistor
R. The larger the ohmic value of R, the longer it EC
will take the capacitor to charge.
With the capacitor fully charged (EC = 10 Volts ), IC = 10 Amperes
when the switch is moved to the Discharge position
the capacitor will discharge through R.

Voltage Charge / Discharge Curve

As shown at the right, a capacitor opposes a Charge Discharge
change in voltage. When the switch is closed 100
current begins to flow immediately to the ca-
pacitor, but the voltage across the capacitor 80
builds at a logarithmic rate and the length of 63.2% @ 1RC
EC Volts

time for the capacitor to charge is determined 60

by the rating of the capacitor and the size of
the series resistor in accordance with the for- 40
mula T=RC. 36.8% on Discharge
20

Circuit Applications 0
1RC 2RC 3RC 4RC 5RC
RC Time Constant Circuits have many appli-
catons. Analog time delay relays, for example,
rely on this principle. The relay time delay is Charge Discharge
set by an adjustable resistor which is in series 10
with the timing capacitor. When the firing
voltage of a transistor or SCR is reached, an 8
output relay is energized.
6
Free-running oscillators based on this principle
IC Amperes

generate a characteristic “sawtooth” waveform. 4

Capacitor Charge / Discharge Current 0

The graph at the right shows the immediate rise -1
in charging current when the switch is placed in
the Charge position. The current then decays to -2
zero amps as the capacitor becomes fully
charged. -3
Sheet 3

When the switch is moved to the Discharge po- -4

sition, the current instantaneously reverses in
direction and then decays to zero as the capacitor -5
become fully discharged. T0 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
XC1 AC Theory Copyright 2002 Kilowatt Classroom, LLC.

Capacitive Reactance - Page 1

• Capacitive Reactance is the opposition to the flow of current in an electrical circuit due to capacitance and is
measured in Ohms.

• The symbol for reactance is X; capacitive reactance is represented by XC

AC Theory
• The formula for capacitive reactance is:
1
XC =
2 fC

Where:

XC = Capacitive reactance in ohms

f = Frequency in hertz

C = Capacitance in farads

2 = 6.28 [Note: the value of pi ( ) is 3.1416]

• As illustrated by the formula above, capacitive reactance is inversely proportional to frequency.

• Direct Current (DC) will not flow through a capacitor because the frequency of pure DC (having no ripple
or changes in amplitude) is zero hertz , therefore the value of capacitive reactance in ohms is,
theoretically, infinite (there is always some small amount of leakage current through the capacitor
dielectric). A capacitor is said to “block” direct current. Even though direct current will not flow
through a capacitor, the impressed voltage will cause an electrostatic charge to accumulate on the plates
and the capacitor will store an electrical charge according to the formula:

Q = CE
Where:

Q = Quantity stored in coulombs

E = Potential across the capacitor in volts

C = Capacitance in farads

• The drawing below illustrates how an electrostatic charge accumulates on the plates of a capacitor.

Orbital Electrons in Capacitor Dielectric Material

Figure (A) No charge on capacitor. Position of dielectric electrons
undistorted without presence of electro-
static field.
Capacitor Plate
Capacitor Plate
Position of dielectric electrons is
Figure (B) Charged capacitor. distorted with presence of electrostatic
field and an electrical charge accumulates
Sheet 4

on the plates. In this illustration, the left

Positive Plate plate is positive and the right is negative.
Continued on Sheet 5 Negative Plate
XC2 AC Theory Copyright 2002 Kilowatt Classroom, LLC.

Capacitive Reactance - Page 2

Continued from Sheet 4

In a purely capacitive circuit, the circuit current will lead the applied voltage by 90o . This is a theoretical condition,
since any circuit will have some value of resistance or inductive reactance in addition to the capacitance.

AC Theory
In this circuit the current is all reactive and no work will be done. Single-phase power in watts in an AC circuit is:
P = E x I x Cos The phase angle in this case is 90o . Since Cos 90o = 0, the circuit power therefore equals zero.

Remember:
• There are 360 degrees in a sine wave.
• Electrical Phasors rotate counter-clockwise (CCW).
• Phasors (electrical vectors) show two things: (1) magnitude, and (2) direction.
• The symbol Theta is used to represent phase angle.

I (Circuit Current)
CCW Phasor Rotation
C
AC
Phasor = 90 o Angle of lead
Axis of E REF X Observer
Rotation Phasor Diagram (Reference Voltage @ 0o )

Circuit Diagram If the observer stands a point X above and watches the phasors rotate CCW,
the current phasor will appear first, followed 90o later by the voltage phasor.

T0 Time Increasing
180 o
90 o
0o

Degrees are shown for current waveform.

Positive 1/2 Cycle

Zero Amplitude

Negative 1/2 Cycle

Phase Angle = 900 Leading (Voltage is Reference)

Sine Wave Relationship

Red - Current
Black - Voltage
Sheet 5

In the above drawing, the current crosses zero and goes positive 90o before the voltage crosses zero and goes
positive.