BASIC ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

LECTURE PART-1
Why Study Basic Electrical
Engineering?
Importance of Electricity in the Community
Light
Transportation (Automobiles ignition and
lights)
Water supply
Elevators
Communication
Power
Advantages of Electrical Energy
Can be readily and efficiently converted into any
form of energy
Can be generated at the most favorable location
May be efficiently transmitted for great distances
Convenient and easy application for different
purposes
Can be readily and quickly controlled
Free from the products of combustion
Nature of the Flow of Electricity
Electricity A type of energy fueled by the
transfer of electrons from positive and
negative points within a conductor.
Atoms of all matters consist:
Nucleus (+)
Electron (-)
ELECTRIC CURRENT
The movement of electrons
Electricity in motion
Dynamic electricity
Conventional flow of Electricity vs
Flow of electrons
INSULATORS
Electrons are very closely bound to the
nucleus, and it is difficult to remove an
electron from the atom.
BASIC ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT

SOURCE: https://www.cdli.ca/courses/ep/predesign/t03/02knowledge-skills/act-10a.htm
SOURCE: http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-5/building-simple-resistor-circuits/
 BASIC ELECTRICAL
QUANTITIES

CURRENT
VOLTAGE
POWER
ELECTRIC CURRENT
Electric current in a wire is define as the net
amount of charge that passes through the wire
per unit time, and is measured in amperes (A).
dq Where:
i=
dt
i current in amperes (A)
q charge in coulombs (C)
t time in seconds (s)
VOLTAGE
Voltage is the energy absorbed or expended as a
unit charge moves from one point to the other.
Also called a potential difference and measured
in volts (V).
Where:
d
v= v voltage in volts (V)
d
energy in Joules (J)
charge in coulombs(C)
ELECTRICAL POWER
Time rate of expending or absorbing energy and
is measured by Watts (W).
d Where:
p= p power in watts (W)
d
energy in Joules (J)
d d
p= ( )( ) time in seconds (s)
d d
ELEMENTS OF ELECTRICAL
CIRCUITS

ACTIVE
PASSIVE
ACTIVE ELEMENTS
Active elements are the elements that can
generate energy or power, such as voltage and
current sources.

Voltage source Current source

Note: There can be active elements that absorb power for example, a battery being charge.
PASSIVE ELEMENTS
Passive elements are the elements that cannot
generate energy, such as resistors, capacitors
and inductors.
Resistor
- A circuit element that dissipates electrical energy
(usually as heat)
Real-world devices that are modeled by resistors:
incandescent light bulbs, heating elements, long
wires.
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
1. A conductor has a constant current of 5
ampere. How many electrons pass a fixed point
on the conductor in one minute?
NOTE: 1 e = 1.602 X 10-19 C

ANSWER: 1.873 X 1021 e

2. A battery can deliver 10 joules of energy to
move 5 coulombs of charge. What is the
potential difference between the terminals of the
battery?

ANSWER: V = 2 J/C = 2 VOLTS

3. A cloud 2.5x1019 electrons move fast a given
point every 2 seconds. How much is the intensity
of the electron flow?

ANSWER: I = 2.003 C/s = 2.003 AMPERES

4. Electrical energy is converted to heat at the 7.5
KJ/min in a resistor which has 270 C/min passing
through. What is the voltage difference across
the resistor terminals.

ANSWER: V = 27.778 VOLTS

5. Work equal to 136 Joules is spent in moving
8.5x1018 e- between two points in an electric
circuit. What potential difference dues this
establish between the two points?

ANSWER: V = 99.875 J/C OR V = 99.875 V

6. Will a 10 ampere fuse blow when a steady rate
of charge flow through it is 45000 C/hr.?

ANSWER: YES
 RESISTANCE OF A CONDUCTOR
- The ability of a material to resist (impede,
obstruct) the flow of charge is called its
resistivity.
- Resistance is represented by the letter R and is
measured in ohms ().
- Resistance of a wire depends on some factors
such as length (L), cross sectional area (A) and
resistivity of material ().

Where:

R= resistivity in .m

length in m
cross-section area in m2

R = L/A
2
R = L /V

R = V/A 2
CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA IN CMIL
(CIRCULAR MILS)
1 in. = 1000 mils

1 MCM = 1000 CIRCULAR MILS

1 in2 = 106 mils2

AREA(Circular Mil) = d(mils)2
4 CM = sq. mil
RESISTIVITY OF COMMON ELECTRIC
CONDUCTOR
CONDUCTOR RESISTIVITY ( - m @ 20OC)
SILVER 1.64 x 10-8
COPPER 1.72 x 10-8
ALUMINUM 2.83 x 10-8
TUNGSTEN 5.5 x 10-8
NICKEL 7.8 x 10-8
IRON (PURE) 12 x 10-8
CONSTANTAN 49 x 10-8
NICHROME 1.0 x 10-8
 EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON
RESISTANCE
IN MOST CONDUCTING MATERIALS, THE
RESISTANCE INCREASES WITH AN INCREASE IN
TEMPERATURE OVER HUMAN TEMPERATURE
RANGES (20OC).

R2 = R1 (1+ T)
R2 = R1 [1+ t2 t1 ]
 TEMPERATURE EFFECT
The resistance of must good conducting material
increase almost linearly with temperature over the range
of normal operating temperature.

MATERIALS T0 (INFERRED ZERO

RESISTANCE TEMP. in OC)
TUNGSTEN -202
COPPER (ANNEALED) -234.5
ALUMINUM -236
SILVER -243
CONSTANTAN -125,000
SOURCE: TERAJA

= 1 /OC
R2 = R1 1+ T T1T0
NOTE:
However, some materials and common semi-
conductor materials have resistances that decreases
as temperature increase.
 TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF RESISTANCE
OF SOME COMMON ELECTRIC MATERIALS @ 20OC
CONDUCTOR MATERIAL ( /OC )
SILVER 0.0038
COPPER (ANNEALED) 0.00393
ALUMINUM 0.0039
TUNGSTEN 0.0045
NICKEL 0.006
IRON (COMMERCIAL) 0.0055
NICHROME 0.0006
CONSTANTAN 0.000008
CARBON -0.0005
 OHMS LAW
Ohms law states that the current through a
conductor between two points is directly
proportional to the voltage and inversely
proportional to the resistance.
Where:
I=V/R I = Current ( Amperes, A)
V = Voltage (Volts, V)
R = Resistance (Ohms, )
Power is the rate at which work is done, and in
the mechanical system is generally expressed in
horsepower (hp).

P = IV = 2
V /R = 2
IR
Where: P = Power (Watts, W)
Note: 1hp = 746 Watts
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
1. The substation bus bar is made up of 2 inches
round wire copper 20 feet long. What is the
resistance of each copper if the resistivity is 1.724x10-6
ohmmeter?

ANSWER: R = 5.19 X 10-3

2. A certain conductor rod has a volume of 65 ft3
with resistivity of 8.5x10-5 -m and having a radius
of 2 inches. Find its resistance.

ANSWER: R = 2.38
3. What is the resistance of a 300 meter copper
with a cross sectional area of 1.5 mm2 @ 40 oC?
4. An electric heater made from Nichrome wire
has a resistance of 16 ohm @ 1500 oC. What is
the resistance at normal temperature? (Assuming
normal temperature is 20 oC)
5. A one-meter rod of 2cm diameter is drawn until
its resistance is 100 times the initial resistance. Its
length afterwards?
6. The base of an incandescent lamp with a
tungsten filament is marked 120 volts, 60 watts
measurement on Wheatstone Bridge of a
resistance of the lamp is 20 ohms at 20oC. What is
the operating temperature of the filament if the
resistance temperature coefficient of tungsten is
5x10-3 /oC at 20oC?
7. A coil has a resistance of 18 ohms when its
temperature is 20oC and 20 ohms when its
temperature is 50oC. Find its temperature rise
when its resistance is 21 ohms and the
surrounding temperature is 15oC.