CAPACITOR TYPES: Classification, Types, Application, Factor, Common and Value

Capacitor is the basic component which is used in the electric circuit like inductor, resistor etc. A capacitor is the device which stores electric energy or power. Capacitor performs an important role in an electric circuit and it stores electric charge on the plates when it is connected with the voltage source.

Capacitor

A capacitor is a device which stores electrical energy or power. A capacitor is made of two conductors which are separated by the dielectric material. These dielectric materials are in the form of plates.

One plate has positive charge while the other plate is for negative charge.

Capacitance is the effect of the capacitor which is defined as the ratio of electric charge Q to the voltage V.

it is expressed as-

Q = CV

C = Q/V

Where,

Q = Electric charge, C = Capacitance, V = Voltage across the plates

Classification of Capacitor

Capacitors are classified according to their structure and polarization.

According to structure, they are classified as:

• Fixed Capacitor
• Variable Capacitor
• Trimmer Capacitor

According to polarization, they are classified as:

• Polarized Capacitor
• Unpolarized Capacitor

Types of Capacitor

The Capacitors are categorized into various types based on the material used in the Capacitors.

The main type of Capacitor are given as:

• Ceramic Capacitors
• Film Capacitors
• Electrolytic Capacitors
• Power Film Capacitors
• Paper Capacitors
• Electrolytic capacitors
• Film capacitors

Application of Capacitor

1. Capacitor are used to store electric charge
2. They are used to eliminate electric ripples.
3. Capacitors are used to block DC voltage.
4. They are used in integrated electric circuits for decoupling.
5. Capacitors are used in signal filtering.

Factor Affecting Capacitor

The following factor affects the working of Capacitors

Dielectric

Dielectric means the insulating medium like air. Let us consider two Capacitor plates P1 and P2 which are separated with distance with air filled in between them.

C_air = A∈₀/d

If some other dielectric medium of dielectric constant k is used then the capacitor is given as:

C_air = Ak∈₀/d

Plate Spacing

The capacitance is given by-

C= A∈₀/d

Where

C = capacitance, d = Distance between the plates

Capacitance is inversely proportional to the separation between the plates (d). Hence, if the distance between plates increases, capacitance decreases.

Area of Plate

Capacitance is directly proportional to the area of the plate. Greater the area of plates more will be the value of capacitance.

What are Common Capacitor

Capacitors are basically divided into mechanical groups:

• Fixed Capacitor
• Variable Capacitor

Some common capacitor are-

• Ceramic capacitors
• Aluminum, tantalum, and niobium electrolytic capacitors
• Film and paper capacitors
• Polymer capacitors
• Silver mica, silicon, glass, and vacuum capacitors
• Double-layer capacitors

Value of Capacitor

The value of a capacitor depends on its type.

The following ways in which capacitors values express:

1. Capacitance value of the capacitor is expressed in – Picofarads.
2. If the 3^rd number of a capacitor is zero, then the value is expressed as P.
3. If a capacitor has 3 digits, then the 3^rd number represents the number of zeros of that capacitor. This is usually after the second number.
4. If the value is in PF then the conversion of values into KPF or uF becomes easy.

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