SERIES RL CIRCUITS (1)

R0  R  j 0 

R
et   E p sin ωt
+

 E p 0 V L ωL90  0  jωL 

-

• Circuit above is a series RL network connected to an ac

voltage source
• Need to find the phasor form of the total impedance of
this combination
• The total impedance of this series combination is
ZT  R  j 0  0  jωL  R  jωL  R  j X L ohms

• The magnitude and angle of ZT can be found by

converting to polar form:
• |ZT| = √[R2+(ωL)2] and θ = tan-1(ωL/R)
• The plot of ZT:

Im

jωL ZT  R  jωL  ZT θ 

ZT  R 2  ωL 
2

θ  tan 1 ωL R 

θ
Re
R

Series and Parallel AC 1

Circuits
 SERIES RL CIRCUITS (2)

• Example: For a series RL combination circuit, R =

300, L = 0.2H and e(t) = 17sin(2000t) V. Find the total
equivalent impedance in polar form and rectangular
form. Sketch the impedance in the complex plane.

• We can use Ohm’s law to find the total current supplied

by a voltage source: iT = v / ZT
• Mathematical operation must be carried out using
phasors since all quantities have both magnitude and
angle
• The current iT in a series circuit is the same through
every series-connected component
• The ac voltage drop across each component can be
found by multiplying each impedance by the current
• v1 = iTZ1, v2 = iTZ2, …

• Example: In a series RL circuit, where e(t) = 300 V,

R = 200, XL = j100. Find the total current in the
circuit. Find the voltage drops across R and L. Verify
KVL around the circuit. Draw a phasor diagram showing
e, vR, vL and iT. Sketch the voltage waveforms.

Series and Parallel AC 2

Circuits
 SERIES RC CIRCUITS (1)
R0  R  j 0 

R
et   E p sin ωt
+
1
C   90  0  j ωC 
 E p 0 V ωC
-

• Above is a series RC network connected to an ac

voltage
• The total impedance of this combination is
ZT  R  j 0  0  j ωC   R  j ωC  R  j X C
• The polar coordinates are
Z T  R 2  1 ωC  ohms
2

  1 ωC 
θ  tan 1  1
  tan  1 ωRC
 R 
• The phasor diagram of the total impedance is
Im

R
Re
θ

Z T  R 2  1 ωC 
2

θ  tan 1  1 ωRC 

-j/ωC ZT  R  j ωC
 ZT θ 

Series and Parallel AC 3

Circuits
 SERIES RC CIRCUITS (2)

• As in the series RL circuit, the total current supplied to

the RC network and the voltage drops can be found by
using Ohm’s Law:
• iT = e / ZT
• vR = iTR and vC = iTXC

• Example: For a series RC circuit where e(t) =

18sin(240t + 45) V, R = 3.3k and C = 2.2µF:
• a) Find the total current in the circuit in phasor and
sinusoidal form
• b) Find the voltage drops across the resistor and
capacitor in phasor and sinusoidal form
• c) Verify KVL around the circuit
• d) Draw a phasor diagram showing e, iT, vR and vC
• e) Sketch the waveforms of e, vR and vC versus angle

Series and Parallel AC 4

Circuits
 SERIES RLC CIRCUITS (1)
R0  R  j 0  i(t)

R
+
et   E p sin ωt ωL90  0  jωL 
L
 E p 0 V
-
C

1
  90  0  j ωC 
ωC

• The total impedance of the RLC circuit is

ZT  R  jωL 1 ωC  ohms
• In terms of magnitudes it is: ZT = R + j(|XL| - |XC|)
• Inductive and capacitive reactance have opposite signs
• Thus net reactance may be either inductive or
capacitive, depending which is larger
• Polar coordinates are

ZT  R 2  ωL  1 ωC   R 2   X L  X C 
2 2

ωL  1 ωC X  XC
θ  tan 1  tan 1 L
R R

Series and Parallel AC 5

Circuits
 SERIES RLC CIRCUITS (2)
Im

jωL

• The phasor diagram of ZT

the impedance when ωL – 1/ωC

Net reactance
inductive reactance is θ

greater than the R

Re

capacitive reactance,
i.e. when |XL|>|XC| -j/ωC

Im

• The phasor diagram of jωL

the impedance when R

Re
capacitive reactance θ

ωL – 1/ωC
is greater than the Net reactance

inductive reactance, ZT

i.e. when |XC|>|XL|

-j/ωC

Series and Parallel AC 6

Circuits
 SERIES RLC CIRCUITS (3)

• When there is more than one resistor, capacitor and/or

inductor in a series circuit, the total impedance has a
resistance component equal to the sum of the
resistance values and a reactive component equal to
the sum of the capacitive reactances subtracted from
the sum of the inductive reactances

• Example: In a series RLC circuit, e(t) = 100sinωt, R =

800, ZL = j1250 and ZC = -j450.
• a) Find the current in polar form
• b) Find the voltage drops vR, vL, vC
• c) Verify KVL around the circuit
• d) Draw a phasor diagram showing e, i, vR, vL, vC

Series and Parallel AC 7

Circuits
 ADMITTANCE

• The reciprocal of resistance is conductance, with units

Siemens
• The reciprocal of impedance is admittance, denoted Y
• Y = 1/Z siemens
• Impedance is a measure of the extent to which a
component impedes the flow of ac current through it
• Admittance is a measure of how well it admits the flow
of ac current
• The greater the admittance, the smaller the impedance,
and vice versa
• Resistance R is one form of impedance Z, conductance
G is one form of admittance Y
• Phasor form of conductance is:

1 1
G  0 siemens
R0 R
1
G   j0 S
R

Series and Parallel AC 8

Circuits
 SUSCEPTANCE

• Reactance is another special case of impedance

• The reciprocal of reactance is called susceptance, B
• B = 1/X siemens
• There are two types of susceptance
• Inductive susceptance:
1 1 1
BL      90 siemens
X L ωL90 ωL
BL  0  j 1 ωL  S

• Capacitive susceptance:
1 1
BC    ωC90 siemens
X C 1 ωC   90
BC  0  jωC S

• Z = 1/Y; R = 1/G; XL = 1/BL; XC = 1/BC

• Example: Find the admittance of a 5 resistor; a 5mH
inductor at f = 60Hz; a 0.2µF capacitor at ω = 1.25106
rad/s.
• Example: Find the admittance Y corresponding to Z =
30 + j40 . Draw a phasor diagram showing Y in the
complex plane.

Series and Parallel AC 9

Circuits
 PARALLEL AC CIRCUITS (1)

+
YT
Z1 Z2
-

• Above shows a parallel connected set of impedances to

an ac source
• Total admittance of the circuit is the sum of the
admittances of the parallel connected components, i.e.
• YT = Y1 + Y2 +… + Yn = 1/Z1 + 1/Z2 +…+ 1/Zn

• Example: Find the total admittance of a 20mH inductor,

a 1k resistor and a 0.16µF capacitor connected in
parallel to an ac voltage source of 15sin(25103t) V.
Draw a phasor diagram showing the total admittance in
the complex plane. What is the total admittance if the
frequency of the voltage source is doubled?

Series and Parallel AC 10

Circuits
 PARALLEL AC CIRCUITS (2)

• The total impedance of a network is the reciprocal of its

total admittance, ZT = 1/YT
• For a parallel network:
1 1
ZT  
YT Y1  Y2    Yn
1

1 Z1  1 Z 2    1 Z n

• Example: Three components (an inductor with

impedance j10, a resistor with impedance 2, and
another inductor with impedance j5) are connected in
parallel. Find the total equivalent impedance of this
network.

• Example: A capacitor with impedance –j100 and an

inductor with impedance j500 are connected in
parallel. Find this network’s total equivalent impedance.

Series and Parallel AC 11

Circuits
 PARALLEL AC CIRCUITS (3)

• The same voltage appears across every parallel-

connected impedance
• So current can be found using Ohm’s law and KCL

iT = i1 + i2 +…+ in

i1 = i2 = in =
e/Z1 e/Z2 e/Zn
+
e Z1 Z2 Zn
-

i1  e Z1  eY1
  
in  e Z n  eYn
iT  i1  i2    in
iT  e ZT  eYT

Series and Parallel AC 12

Circuits
 PARALLEL AC CIRCUITS (4)

• Example: For the circuit below, find the current in each

impedance. Show that iT = eYT. Draw a phasor diagram
showing e, iT, i1, i2 and i3.

iT

i1 i2 i3
+
Z1 = Z2 = Z3 =
e = 60sin(ωt) V 50 j40 -j80
-

Series and Parallel AC 13

Circuits
 AC CURRENT SOURCES (1)

• Like a dc current source, an ideal ac current source

supplies the same constant current to whatever
network is connected across its terminals
• For ac, the current is constant in the sense that its peak
value does not change
• The same symbol is used for an ac current source as
for a dc current source
• The direction of the arrow is just a phase reference,
since current reverses direction every half cycle
• Reversing the arrow is the same as multiplying the
current by -1, which is the same as adding or
subtracting 180 from its phase angle

Ipsin(ωt + θ) A = -Ipθ = Ipθ+180

= Ipθ

Series and Parallel AC 14

Circuits
 AC CURRENT SOURCES (2)

• Example: For the circuit below, find the voltage vT

across the ac current source. Find the currents i1 and i2.
Show that i = i1 + i2. Draw a phasor diagram showing i,
vT, i1 and i2. Sketch the waveforms of i, i1 and i2 versus
angle.

i1 i2
i(t) = vT
0.24sin(5106t) A 100 2000pF

Series and Parallel AC 15

Circuits
 POWER IN CIRCUITS CONTAINING
REACTANCE (1)

• Recall that the average power dissipated by a

resistance carrying sinusoidal ac current can be found
by

I p2 R V p2 Vp I p
Pavg   
2 2R 2
Veff2
 I eff R 
2
 Veff I eff
R

• Above can be used to find Pavg dissipated by a resistor

in a circuit containing reactance, provided the values
used in the computations are indeed those of the
voltage across and/or current through the resistor itself
• In many practical circuits, it is sometimes necessary to
compute Pavg when the resistance or resistor
voltage/current are not known

Series and Parallel AC 16

Circuits
 POWER IN CIRCUITS CONTAINING
REACTANCE (2)
i = (Ep/|Z|)  
→

+
e = Ep |Z|


• Above is an ac circuit with a general impedance Z

• Assuming that the voltage supplied has angle 
E p φ E p
i  φ  θ 
Z θ Z
• Angle between voltage and current is  - ( - ) = 
• The angle between the voltage applied to a network
and the total current supplied to it equals the angle
of the impedance of the network
• Resistive component of impedance Z is R = |Z|cos
ohms
• Since only resistance in network dissipates power

I p2 R I p2 Z cos θ
Pavg  
2 2
I p Z  Ep , I p Z  I pEp
2

I p E p cos θ
Pavg 
2

Series and Parallel AC 17

Circuits
 POWER FACTOR

• Equations on previous slide provide a means for

computing the average power in terms of voltage e
across whole network and total supply current i
• Cos is called the power factor
• For a purely resistive network, voltage and current are
in phase, so power factor = cos0 = 1 → Pavg = EpIp / 2
• For a purely reactive network, voltage and current are
separated by ±90, and cos ±90 = 0 → Pavg = 0, i.e no
power is dissipated by purely reactive components
(capacitors and inductors)
• Since Vp = 2Veff and Ip = 2Ieff we can derive

Pavg 
 2Veff  2 I eff  cos θ
2
 Veff I eff cos θ

Series and Parallel AC 18

Circuits
 EXAMPLE OF POWER IN AC
CIRCUITS
j80
i
→

+
e = 600 100


-j20

• In the circuit above:

• Find the power factor
• Use the power factor to find the average power
dissipated in the network
• Verify that the power computed above is the same as
the power computed by using the voltage across and
current through the resistor

Series and Parallel AC 19

Circuits