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Electricity notes (4) Heating Effects of Electric current

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20 views

Electricity notes (4) Heating Effects of Electric current

Uploaded by

aavaniragesh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Heating Effect of Electric Current

The generation or production of heat in a resistor (or conductor) when electricity flows
through it is called heating effect of electric current.

Joule’s law of heating


The heat produced in a resistor is directly proportional to:
i. the square of the current though the conductor for a given resistance. i.e., H ∝ I2
ii. the resistance of the conductor for the given current. i.e., H ∝ R
iii. the time for which the current is passed. i.e., H ∝ t

Combining the above three equation we get H ∝ I2 R t


H = K I2 R t,
where K is constant of proportionality
If K = 1, then

H = I2 R t

Derivation of the equation for Joule’s law of Heating


Let W be the work done to move electric charge
Q from one point to another. Then potential
difference V across the ends of the conductor is
given by
𝑊
V=
𝑄

∴ W = VQ……..1

Let I be the current flowing in the circuit of resistance ‘R’ in time ‘t’ such that:
𝑄
I=
𝑡
∴ Q = It………2

By Ohm’s law:
V = IR………...3
Substituting 2 and 3 in 1, we get
W = IR x It

W = I2Rt

The work thus done is converted into heat energy


Hence, W = H

H= I2Rt

Now, by Ohm’s law By Ohm’s law

V= IR V= IR

𝑉 𝑉
I= R=
𝑅 𝐼
Substituting in H = I2Rt Substituting in H = I2Rt

𝑉2 𝑉
H= 2Rt H = I2 t
𝑅 𝐼

𝑉2
∴ H= t H= VIt
𝑅

𝑉2
Thus heat produced in a conductor, H = VIt = I2Rt = t
𝑅

Reason for production of heat: A metallic conductor has a large no. of free electrons
in it. When a potential difference is applied across the ends of a metallic conductor, the
free electrons begin to drift from the low potential to the high potential region. During
this drift, the free electrons collide with the other electrons and the positive ions. In these
collisions, the energy of the electron is transferred to positive ions and they begin to
vibrate more vigorously. As a result, the temperature of the resistor increases and heat is
produced.

The characteristics of a heating element:


A heating element should have the following characteristics
1. it should have moderate resistivity
2. it should have high melting point
3. it should not burn/oxidize at higher temperatures and
4. its coefficient of thermal expansion should not be too high.
Practical applications of heating effect of electric current
1. Electric heater, electric iron and water heater etc. work on the heating effect of electric
current.
2. Electric bulb glows when electric current flows through the filament of the bulb
3. Electric fuse in the electric circuit melts when large current flows in the circuit.
Electric Power: The rate at which electrical energy is consumed or dissipated is called
electric power. The SI unit of power is watt.
If W is the amount of electric energy consumed in a circuit in t seconds, then the electric
power is given by
𝐸 𝑊
P= =
𝑡 𝑡

Since W = electric energy = VQ = VIt


𝑉𝐼𝑡
∴P=
𝑡

or P = VI ……………………. (i)

𝑉
By Ohm’s law: V = IR, or I =
𝑅
Substituting for ‘I’ in equation (i), we get

𝑉2
P=
𝑅

Substituting for ‘V’ in equation (i), we get

P = I2 R

SI unit of Power is watt(W)

1 Watt: The electric power is said to be 1 watt if 1 ampere current flows through a
conductor/circuit when 1 volt potential difference is applied across its ends.

Higher units: 1 kilowatt (1 kW) = 1000 W = 103 W


1 Megawatt (1 MW) = 1000 kW = 106 W
1 gigawatt (1 GW) = 109W

Practical unit of power is horse power (h.p) and 1 h.p = 746 W


Electrical energy:
𝐸
Now, P=
𝑡

∴ E = Pt

Kilowatt hour is the commercial unit of electrical energy.

One kilowatt hour is the amount of electrical energy consumed when an electrical
appliance having 1kW power is used for 1 hour.
Or
1 kWh is the amount of electrical energy consumed when an electrical appliance having
1000 W power is used for 1 hour.

Difference between kilowatt and kilowatt hour


kilowatt Kilowatt hour
Higher unit of Electric Power Commercial unit of electrical energy

Relationship between Commercial unit and SI unit of Electrical energy


Energy used = Power x time
1 kWh = 1 kW x 1 hour
= 1000 W x 60x 60 s
= 1000J/s x 3600s
= 3600000 J
= 3.6 x 106 J

1 kWh = 3.6 x 106 J

Power rating/Rating of electrical appliance:


The value of power and operating voltage across its terminal, printed on each appliance,
taken together is called the power rating or rating of electrical appliances.
e.g., if the bulb has 40W-220V rating, it means that the bulb uses 40J of energy per second,
when a voltage of 220V is applied across its terminals.

Electric fuse: A fuse is a device for the safety of the appliances and electric circuits
against excessive heating during a short circuit or overloading.
Fuse wire is made of material whose melting point is very low. For e.g., copper or tin-lead
alloy.

Current rating of a fuse: The maximum amount of current that can pass through a
fuse wire without melting is termed as the current rating of a fuse.
Give reasons:

1. Electric bulbs filled with chemically inactive nitrogen or argon.


Inactive gases do not react with the filament of the bulb and hence do not oxidize it
and thus it prolongs the life the bulb.
2. An ammeter is likely to burn out if it is connected in parallel.
Ammeter is a low resistance device. If it is connected in parallel, then a large amount
of current flows through it. Hence large heat is produced and it may burn the ammeter.
3. Tungsten is almost exclusively used for filament of electric lamps.
Tungsten has very high melting point(about 3380℃ ) , it does not oxidize or burn
easily at high temperatures. As the filament of the bulb is very thin and long, there is
a lot of heat produced due to high resistance and thus the tungsten filament becomes
red hot and then white hot and starts glowing.
4. Nichrome is used for making heating element of electrical appliances.
Resistivity of nichrome is very high, so a lot of heat is produced when current is passed
through it. Melting point of nichrome is very high and it does not oxidize easily even
at high temperatures.
5. Connecting cord of an electric heater does not glow while the heating
element does.
Connecting cord of an electric heater is made of a material(conductor) which has less
resistance while the heating element is made of a material (alloy) which has high
resistance due to which more heat is produced and it starts glowing.
6. Coils of electric toasters and electric irons are made of an alloy than a pure
metal.
Resistivity of an alloy is much higher than that of pure metal. It does not undergo
oxidation easily even at high temperatures.
7. Rating of a fuse in a circuit is 5 A.
It means that the maximum current of 5 A can pass through the fuse without melting
it.

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