ALTERNATING CURRENT

Alternating current (green curve)

City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. The AC blinking causes the lines to be dotted
rather than continuous.

In alternating current (AC, also ac) the movement (or flow) of electric charge
periodically reverses direction. An electric charge would for instance move
forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again. In
direct current (DC), the movement (or flow) of electric charge is only in one
direction.
Used generically, AC refers to the form in which electricity is delivered to
businesses and residences. The usual waveform of an AC power circuit is a sine
wave, however in certain applications, different waveforms are used, such as
triangular or square waves. Audio and radio signals carried on electrical wires are
also examples of alternating current. In these applications, an important goal is
often the recovery of information encoded (or modulated) onto the AC signal.

Alternator Application
Notice how the polarity of the voltage across the wire coils reverses as the opposite
poles of the rotating magnet pass by. Connected to a load, this reversing voltage
polarity will create a reversing current direction in the circuit. The faster the
alternator's shaft is turned, the faster the magnet will spin, resulting in an
alternating voltage and current that switches directions more often in a given
amount of time.

While DC generators work on the same general principle of electromagnetic

induction, their construction is not as simple as their AC counterparts. With a DC
generator, the coil of wire is mounted in the shaft where the magnet is on the AC
alternator, and electrical connections are made to this spinning coil via stationary
carbon “brushes” contacting copper strips on the rotating shaft. All this is
necessary to switch the coil's changing output polarity to the external circuit so the
external circuit sees a constant polarity:

The advantages of using alternating current are many.

1. Voltages can be stepper up or stepper down to have economical transmission
of power.
2. Transmission lines can be extended tapper easily.
3. Parallel lines could be laid at ease.
4. Control of active & reactive power is simple and natural P-D or Q-V groups
are opted for purpose.
5. Equipment being used are reliable . simpler and user friendly.
6. Users of AC technology are many and are fully familiar with the technology.
7. Occurrence of faults on UHV & EHV systems are rare.
Limitations:
1. power transfer is inversely proportional to reactance of line and I2 X losses are
prominent on AC lines.

2. Ac lines need compensation for reactive power to control/regulate voltages.

3. HVAC are synchronous links and therefore frequency disturbances are

transferred throughout the Grid.

4. HVAC links are adversely affected by power swings which occur during
switching operations, faults and grid disturbances.

Direct current
Direct current (DC) is the undirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is
produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-
type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor
such as a wire, but can also be through semiconductors, insulators, or even through
a vacuum as in electron or ion beams. The electric charge flows in a constant
direction, distinguishing it from alternating current (AC). A term formerly used for
direct current was Galvanic current.
Types of direct current.
Direct current may be obtained from an alternating current supply by use of a
current-switching arrangement called a rectifier, which contains electronic
elements (usually) or electromechanical elements (historically) that allow current
to flow only in one direction. Direct current may be made into alternating current
with an inverter or a motor-generator set.

The first commercial electric power transmission (developed by Thomas Edison in

the late nineteenth century) used direct current. Because of the advantage of
alternating current over direct current in transforming and transmission, electric
power distribution today is nearly all alternating current. For applications requiring
direct current, such as third rail power systems, alternating current is distributed to
a substation, which utilizes a rectifier to convert the power to direct current. See
War of Currents.

Direct current is used to charge batteries, and in nearly all electronic systems as the
power supply. Very large quantities of direct-current power are used in production
of aluminum and other electrochemical processes. Direct current is used for some
railway propulsion, especially in urban areas. High voltage direct current is used to
transmit large amounts of power from remote generation sites or to interconnect
alternating current power grids.

Applications

Direct-current installations usually have different types of sockets, switches, and

fixtures, mostly due to the low voltages used, from those suitable for alternating
current. It is usually important with a direct-current appliance not to reverse
polarity unless the device has a diode bridge to correct for this (most battery-
powered devices do not).

This symbol is found on many electronic devices that either require or produce
direct current.
DC is commonly found in all low-voltage applications, especially where these are
powered by batteries, which can produce only DC, or solar power systems. Most
automotive applications use DC, although the alternator is an AC device which
uses a rectifier to produce DC. Most electronic circuits require a DC power supply.
Applications using fuel cells (mixing hydrogen and oxygen together with a catalyst
to produce electricity and water as byproducts) also produce only DC.

Many telephones connect to a twisted pair of wires, and internally separate the AC
component of the voltage between the two wires (the audio signal) from the DC
component of the voltage between the two wires (used to power the phone).

Telephone exchange communication equipment, such as DSLAM, uses standard -

48V DC power supply. The negative polarity is achieved by grounding the positive
terminal of power supply system and the battery bank. This is done to prevent
electrolysis depositions.

An electrified third rail can be used to power both underground (subway) and
overground trains.

Advantages
1. HVDC ensures economy in bulk power transmission.
2. Operational cost of HVDC is quite less.
3. Control of HVDC is easy & fast.
4. It has minimum losses less corona loss, and reduced radio interface.
5. Free from frequency disturbances.
6. HVDC is and asynchronous link.

Limitation:
1. It is basically a point to point system.
2. It does not have tap or parallel lines.
3. It does not have step up or step down transformers nor DC barkers.
4. HVDC finds application in only transmission of power.
What is the Difference Between AC and DC Current
In DC, the electrons flow steadily in a single direction, or "forward." In AC,
electrons keep switching directions, sometimes going "forwards" and then going
"backwards." The power that comes from wall outlets is AC.

Electricity is a very different energy source than heat or light. In nature, electricity
only rarely occurs, in some animals or with lightning. In the search to create
electrical energy, scientists discovered that electrical and magnetic fields are
related. A magnetic field near a wire causes electrons to flow in a single direction
along the wire because they are repelled and attracted by the north or south poles.
Thus, DC power from a battery was born, primarily attributed to Thomas Edison's
work and promotion.

Another scientist, Nikola Tesla, preferred AC because it travels farther without

losing energy and could transfer different amounts of power. Instead of applying
the magnetism along the wire steadily, he used a magnet that was rotating. When
the magnet was oriented in one direction, the electrons flowed towards the
positive, but when the magnet's orientation was flipped, the electrons turned as
well. AC generators gradually replaced Edison's DC battery system because AC is
safer to transfer over the longer distances and can provide more power.

Another difference between AC and DC involves the amount of energy it can

carry. Each battery is designed to produce only one voltage, and that voltage of DC
cannot travel very far until it begins to lose energy. AC voltage from a generator in
a power plant can be bumped up or down in strength by another mechanism, called
a transformer.
One of the advantages of AC over DC is that AC is easy to be transported over
long distances without comparatively less loss of power than DC.

Moreover, AC can be easily converted into DC but vice versa is more difficult.

AC has less copper loss (more heating effect) than DC and it's easier and cheaper
to produce too.

The voltage of AC can be easily changed while it's difficult to do so in DC.

AC electrical distribution systems can easily allow changes in voltage using

transformers. This gives AC electrical distribution systems a great advantage
compared to DC.

The advantages of AC over DC hinge on its high voltage transmission and

frequency property (see corresponding diagrams). Since alternating current
operated on such a low current, there was little power dissipation, even over
exceptionally long distances with minimal energy dissipation (AC/DC: What's the
Difference?). This was due to the fact that the electrons did not move very far and
consequently did not generate a lot of heat due to friction of motion. Direct current
however, "ran out of pressure [(effective power deliverance)] about half a mile
from the power station" (Lomas 65). This limitation meant that direct current
needed high gauge copper wire (expensive) and a power station effectively in one's
back yard (inconvenient). It is these factors which ultimately limited direct current
to the extremely rich and made technologies like the telephone and "the electro-
magnetic telegraph an impractical scheme" (Mendenhall 607). Alternating current
however, could transmit comparably small amounts of electricity over very large
distances, hundreds of miles, and it could be "stepped up" or "stepped down" as
needed for its end process effectively giving it a high current at the end rather than
along its entire length (Lomas 66).

It is the properties which allowed alternating current to extend the range of human
interaction and influence to the limit. Power could be generated at remote locations
and transmitted over long distances (like in the Pan-American Exposition of 1901
in Buffalo, New York), or generated in city centers and connected to the suburbs
and neighboring cities, and states (Jonnes 123). Alternating current also extended
the range of human interaction i.e. communication by extending the range of
existing technologies such as the telegraph and the telephone across the United
States and beyond. This meant that information known in one place could be
quickly known across the entire country, effectively eliminating the connection
between distance and time. Families no longer needed to be close to maintain
effective communication. People could spread out and yet remain more connected
than ever before. This societal narrative would continue into the future with the
advent of more advanced technologies, all relying on alternating current.

Other Factlets
 AC is usually used for transmission because DC cannot be run through a
transformer.
 Edison's original system was DC. It required many power generating
stations because the voltage couldn't be stepped up/down like AC. This is
why Westinghouse's (Well, Tesla's IIRC. Westinghouse bought it.) AC
system lasted in the long run.
 Sometimes high voltage DC is used for transmission, but it requires special
equipment on both ends.
 Semiconductor electronics require low voltage DC so your electronic
devices have power supplies that change the high voltage AC to low voltage
DC.
 A battery can only produce DC. This is why your car's electrical system is
DC.
Direct Current vs. Alternating Current

Greg Wahl-Stephens/Getty Images News/Getty Images

This transformer helps transfer power traveling to and from California.

Batteries, fuel cells and solar cells all produce something called direct current
(DC). The positive and negative terminals of a battery are always, respectively,
positive and negative. Current always flows in the same direction between those
two terminals.

The power that comes from a power plant, on the other hand, is called alternating
current (AC). The direction of the current reverses, or alternates, 60 times per
second (in the U.S.) or 50 times per second (in Europe, for example). The power
that is available at a wall socket in the United States is 120-volt, 60-cycle AC
power.

The big advantage that alternating current provides for the power grid is the fact
that it is relatively easy to change the voltage of the power, using a device called a
transformer. Power companies save a great deal of money this way, using very
high voltages to transmit power over long distances.
How does this work? Well, let's say that you have a power plant that can produce 1
million watts of power. One way to transmit that power would be to send 1 million
amps at 1 volt. Another way to transmit it would be to send 1 amp at 1 million
volts. Sending 1 amp requires only a thin wire, and not much of the power is lost to
heat during transmission. Sending 1 million amps would require a huge wire.

So power companies convert alternating current to very high voltages for

transmission (such as 1 million volts), then drop it back down to lower voltages for
distribution (such as 1,000 volts), and finally down to 120 volts inside the house
for safety. As you might imagine, it's a lot harder to kill someone with 120 volts
than with 1 million volts (and most electrical deaths are prevented altogether today
using GFCI outlets). To learn more, read How Power Grids Work.