Determining Whether A Film Capacitor Can Handle One AC Voltage Imposed On Another

Focus:

Customers commonly ask whether a particular capacitor series or an individual part number will work in their circuit. Frequently, they will ask about an application where one ac voltage is imposed on another. For example, “Can I use a C44BXFP4100ZB0J with a 60-Hz 720-Vrms ac voltage imposed on 10% 16-kHz pk-pk ripple?” This article discusses the application factors that must be considered in answering this question, which include ambient temperature, life expectancy, application type and dc bias. The author then gives a design example in which he shows the calculation of the total effective RMS current and voltage for a specific film capacitor and a specified set of operating conditions, and determines whether these calculated values fall within the vendor’s ratings for this capacitor.

What you’ll learn:

• How to determine whether a capacitor will stay within its rated limits when subjected to one ac voltage imposed on another

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Author & Publication:

Samuel Accardo, KEMET, Boston, Mass., How2Power Today, Mar 13 2020

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