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Case 1: Constant Voltage: Application: Series RC Circuit

In a series RC circuit: 1) When a constant voltage is applied, the current decays exponentially over time as the capacitor charges, dropping to zero once the capacitor is fully charged. 2) For a variable voltage source, the differential equation is solved in terms of charge Q rather than current I, yielding an exponential solution involving the time-varying voltage. 3) Example circuits are worked through, applying the differential equation solutions and formulas to calculate voltage, charge, and current at different times for both constant and variable voltage sources.

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164 views12 pages

Case 1: Constant Voltage: Application: Series RC Circuit

In a series RC circuit: 1) When a constant voltage is applied, the current decays exponentially over time as the capacitor charges, dropping to zero once the capacitor is fully charged. 2) For a variable voltage source, the differential equation is solved in terms of charge Q rather than current I, yielding an exponential solution involving the time-varying voltage. 3) Example circuits are worked through, applying the differential equation solutions and formulas to calculate voltage, charge, and current at different times for both constant and variable voltage sources.

Uploaded by

Em's_08
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Application: Series RC Circuit

In an RC circuit, the capacitor stores energy between a pair of plates. When voltage is applied to the capacitor, the charge builds up in the capacitor and the current drops of to zero.

Case 1: Constant Voltage


The voltage across the resistor and capacitor are as follows: VR = Ri and

Kirchhoff's voltage law says the total voltages must be zero. So applying this law to a series RC circuit results in the equation:

One way to solve this equation is to turn it into a differential equation, by differentiating throughout with respect to t:

Solving the equation gives us:

Proof We start with:

Divide through by R:

We recognise this as a first order linear differential equation. Identify P and Q:

Q=0 Find the integrating factor (our independent variable is t and the dependent variable is i):

So

Now for the right hand integral of the 1st order linear solution:

Applying the linear first order formula:

Since i = V/R when t = 0:

Substituting this back in:

Solving for i gives us the required expression:

Important note: We are assuming that the circuit has a constant voltage source, V. This equation does not apply if the voltage source is variable. The time constant in the case of an RC circuit is: = RC The function

has an exponential decay shape as shown in the graph. The current stops flowing as the capacitor becomes fully charged.

Applying our expressions from above, we have the following expressions for the voltage across the resistor and the capacitor:

While the voltage over the resistor drops, the voltage over the capacitor rises as it is charged:

Case 2: Variable Voltage and 2-mesh Circuits


We need to solve variable voltage cases in q, rather than in i, since we have an integral to deal with if we use i. So we will make the substitutions:

and

and so the equation in i involving an integral:

becomes the differential equation in q:

EXAMPLE 1

A series RC circuit with R = 5 W and C = 0.02 F is connected with a battery of E = 100 V. At t = 0, the voltage across the capacitor is zero. (a) Obtain the subsequent voltage across the capacitor. (b) As t , find the charge in the capacitor. We will solve this 3 ways, since it has a constant voltage source: 1 and 2: Solving the DE in q, as:

a linear DE and variables separable

3. Using the formulae


Method 1 - Solving the DE in q

and

From the formula:

, we obtain:

On substituting, we have:

We can solve this DE 2 ways, since it is variables separable or we could do it as a linear DE. The algebra is easier if we do it as a linear DE.

Solving this differential equation as a linear DE, we have: IF =

So So Now, since So , (that is, when , ) this gives:

As Now,

C.

For comparison, here is the solution of the DE using variables separable:

Since So

, we have

Method 2:

We use the formulae

and

Now So:

Now

From here, we use So


EXAMPLE 2

and obtain: , as before. Also, as , C.

Find the charge and the current for t > 0 in a series RC circuit where R = 10 W, C = 4 10-3 F and E = 85 cos 150t V. Assume that when the switch is closed at t = 0, the charge on the capacitor is -0.05 C.

[We cannot use the formulae voltage source is not constant.]

and

, since the

From the formula:

, we obtain:

Since

, and

, we have:

Now, we can solve this differential equation in q using the linear DE process as follows: IF =

Then we use the integration formula (found in a standard integral table):

We obtain:

So, dividing throughout by

gives:

We now need to find

means So this gives us:

In the RC circuit shown below, the switch is closed on position 1 at t = 0 and after 1 is moved to position 2. Find the complete current transient.

At t = 0, the switch is at Position 1. We note that

Using SNB to solve this differential equation, we have:

NOTE: By differentiating, this gives us:

We need to find

: .

Now, at

, the charge will be:

At

, switch at Position 2:

Applying the formula

again:

NOTE: The negative voltage is because the current will flow in the opposite direction through the resistor and capacitor. Once again, we solve using Scientific Notebook:

Exact solution is:

So the current transient will be:

This expression assumes that time starts at at , so we need:

. However, we moved the switch to Position 2

So the complete current transient is: for for The graph is very interesting:

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