Week 9

AC CIRCUIT ANALYSIS
USING PHASORS AND
EQUIVALENT IMPEDANCE
CONCEPT
 Learning Outcomes
After completing this topic you will be able to:
i. Apply the phasor concept in ac-driven circuit analysis.

ii. Apply the phasor i-v relationships of the resistor, capacitor,

and inductor in steady-state ac circuit analysis.

iii. Apply the equivalent impedance concept rule to find the

magnitude and phase relationships of currents and voltages in
i
ac circuits.

iv. Draw phasor diagrams for the circuit voltages and currents.

05/20/17 2

2
Phasors and Circuit Analysis

To use phasors for circuit analysis, we first need to know how

KVL, KCL, and Ohms law in apply in the phasor domain.
Kirchhoffs Voltage Law in the Phasor Domain

Consider the following time-domain circuit where a sinusoidally

varying voltage source v1(t) is driving a current i(t) through the
circuit and establishing voltage drops v2(t), v3(t).... Vn(t) across
the rest of the circuit elements.

+ v2(t) - + v3(t) - + vn(t) -

+ v1(t) -
Recall that KVL states that the sum of voltages around a closed
path is equal to zero.
0 = v1(t) + v2(t) + . + vn(t)

For a sinusoidally driven circuit, we can write

0 V cos t V cos t ... V cos t

1 1 2 2 n n

0 ReV cos t V cos t ... V cos t

1 1 2 2 n n

0 ReV e 1
j t 1
V e 2
j t 2
... V e n
j t n

0 Re V e V e ... V e e
1
j1

2
j 2

n
j 3 j t

0 Re V V ... V e
1 2 n
j t

 In general, ejt 0, so 0 V V ..... V
1 2 n

This result tells us that KVL applies in the phasor domain as well
as the time domain.

+ v2(t) + v3(t) - + vn(t) -

-
Time-domain
+ v1(t) - circuit

Phasor transform

+ V2 - + V3 - + Vn -

+ V1 - Phasor-domain
circuit

05/20/17 6
Kirchhoffs Current Law in the Phasor Domain

Recall that KCL states that the sum of currents leaving (or
entering) a node is equal to zero.

0 = i1(t) + i2(t) + . + in(t)

i1(t) i2(t) in(t)

i(t)
Using Eulers identity ej = cos + jsin, we can rewrite the
previous equation as

0 I cos t I cos t ... I cos t

1 1 2 2 n n

0 Re I cos t I cos t ... I cos t

1 1 2 2 n n

0 Re I e 1
j t 1
I e 2
j t 2
... I e n
j t n

0 Re I e I e ... I e
1
j1

2
j 2

n
j3
e jt

0 Re I I ... I e
1 2 n
jt

 In general, ejt 0, so 0 I I ..... I
1 2 n

This result shows that KVL applies in the phasor domain as well as
the time domain.
n n

i
j 1
j 0 I
j 1
j 0

Time-domain KCL equation Phasor-domain KCL equation

i1(t) i2(t) iN(t)

i(t)
Driving Point Impedance of a Two-Terminal Network

Z
When Z applies to a 2-terminal circuit (rather than simple
component) it is known as the equivalent impedance, or alternatively,
as the driving point impedance of the box.
Driving Point Impedance of a Two-Terminal Network

The driving point impedance of a two-terminal circuit (box) is the

impedance seen by a source V connected across its input
terminals. The value of the driving point impedance is given by
the ratio of the voltage and current phasor:

Note
Z
When Z applies to a 2-terminal circuit (rather than simple
component) it is known as the equivalent impedance, or alternatively,
as the driving point impedance of the box.
Driving Point Impedance of Series-Connected Impedances

Consider the following circuit where voltage source V is supplying

current I to a set N impedances connected together in series and
lumped in an imaginary box. Suppose we wish to find the equivalent
impedance seen by the source V. To do this we need to find the
ratio V/I of the box.
Application of KVL to the circuit leads
us to the equation
n

V 0
i 1
i
Therefore,
V IZ IZ IZ IZ 0
1 2 3 n
Z

Equivalent impedance of box seen by source

V is given by the ratio of V/I.
Z
V
Z Z Z Z Z
I
1 2 3 n
Driving Point Impedance of Parallel-Connected Impedances
For the circuit shown below, application of KCL leads to the node
current equation

I I1 I 2 ..... I n
Now, application of Ohms law to the impedances gives us the
following relationships

V I1Z1 I 2 Z 2 ..... I n Z n

Z1 Z2 ZN
Thus, upon substitution of the above expressions into the KCL
equation, we obtain
V V V V
I .....
Z1 Z 2 Z 3 ZN

1 1 1 1
V .....
Z1 Z 2 Z 3 ZN

We can rewrite the above equation as

I 1 1 1 1 1
..... (say)
V Z1 Z 2 Z 3 ZN Z
Hence, we obtain the result

1 1 1 1 1
.....
Z Z1 Z 2 Z 3 ZN
This means we can replace the N parallel-connected impedances
with a single impedance, Z.

Z1 Z2 ZN
Z
For the simple case of two impedance connected in series, we
obtain
1 1 1

Z Z1 Z 2
This can be rewritten in the more convenient form as
Z1 Z 2
Z
Z1 Z 2

Z1 ZZ22 Z
Worked Example 1

Determine the driving-point impedance of the circuit at a

frequency of 20 Hz.

= 100F
Solution
Worked Example 2

Determine the driving-point admittance of the circuit at a

frequency of 400 Hz.
Worked Example 3

Determine the input impedance of the circuit at = 10 rad/sec.

Z3

Z1
Solution

Let
Z1 = impedance of the 2-mF capacitor in series with the 20- resistor
Z2 = impedance of the 4-mF capacitor
Z3 = impedance of the 2-H inductor in series with the 50- resistor
1 1
Z1 20 20 20 j 30
jC
j 10 2 10 3

1 1 Z3
Z2 j 25

jC j 10 4 10 3
Z1

Z 3 50 jL 50 j 10 2 50 j 20
 Z 2 Z3
Z in Z1 Z 2 // Z 3 Z1
Z 2 Z3
( j 25) 50 j 20
Z in 20 j 50
j 25 50 j 20

20 j 50 12.38 j 23.76
Z3

32.38 j 73.76
Z1
Exercise

Determine the driving-point impedance of the circuit at a

frequency of 20 Hz.

+
Z I
V
-
Worked Example 4
Determine the driving point impedance of the circuit at a
frequency of 40 kHz.
Solution
Convert the resistance and capacitance into impedances.

Z R 25
R

1 1
Z
jRC j 2 40 10 200 10
C 3 9

1
ZC = -j19.89
j 0.05027

ZR = 25
j19.89

Therefore, driving point impedance of box is

Z Z Z 25 j19.89
R C
Z
Phasor Analysis Steps

Phasor analysis (a.k.a sinusoidal steady-state analysis) consists

basically of four steps.

1. Transform all independent sources to phasors

2. Calculate the impedance of the passive circuit elements
3. Apply analysis methods learned in Electric Circuit Analysis I
4. Apply inverse phasor transform to obtain time-domain
expression for currents and voltages of interest.

Note
All of the sources must have the SAME frequency!

26
Worked Example 5

For the circuit shown below, find:

(a) Angular frequency (in radians per second)
(b) Impedance of R in
(c) Impedance of L in
(d) Impedance of C in
(e) Driving point impedance in
(f) Phasor voltage and current
(g) Find particular response i(t)

27
Solution
(a) Angular frequency
= 1000 rad/s

(b) Impedance of R in :

ZR = R

(c) Impedance of L in :

ZL = jL = j x 1000 x 25 x 10-3 = j25

(d) Impedance of C in :

ZC = 1/(jC) = 1/(j x 1000 x 10 x 10-6) = -j100

(e) Driving point impedance,

Zin = ZR + ZC + ZL = 50 j100 + j25 = 50 - j75

= 90.14-56.14

Z
(f) Find phasor voltage and current.

VS = P{vS(t)} = P{35cos(1000t + 30)} = 3530 V

I = P{i(t)}
I
Application of KVL to the circuit leads
us to the equation
VS Zin

- VS + IZin = 0

Hence,
VS 3530
I= = = 0.38886.14 A
Zin 90.14-56.14
(g) Find particular response i(t).

i(t) = 0.388cos(1000t + 86.14) A

Phasor diagram: VL

VS

75
30

15
I
VR
VC
Worked Example 6
Determine v(t) and i(t).
Solution
1. Draw the phasor equivalent circuit.

V P v (t ) 5 90 V
s s
o

I P i (t ) ; V P v(t )

jX j 10 0.2 j 2
L

Therefore,
I

VS j2
Solution
2. Find equivalent impedance seen by the source.

Z 4 j2

3. Find circuit current.

V 5 90 o

I S
1.118 63.44 A o

Z 4 j2
4. Find phasor voltage drop V across the inductor.

V jX I j 2 1.118 63.44 2.23626.56 V

L
o o

5. Find time-domain current and voltage.

i (t ) P I 1.118 cos10t 63.44 A
1 o

v (t ) P V 2.236 cos10t 26.56 V

1 o
Worked Example 7

Determine
a) Current i(t)
b) voltage drop vL(t)
c) voltage drop vR(t)
Solution
1. Draw the phasor equivalent circuit.

V P v (t ) 10 90 V
s s
o

I P i (t ) ; V P v (t )
L L ; V P v (t )
R R

jX j 500 0.5 j 250

L

Therefore,
I
250

+ VR - +
VS VL j250

-
Solution
2. Find equivalent impedance seen by the source.

Z 250 j 250

3. Find circuit current.

V 10 90 o

I S
0.028 135 A o

Z 250 j 250
4. Find phasor voltage drop VL across the inductor.

V jX I j 250 0.028 135 7.07 45 V

L L
o o

5. Find phasor voltage drop VR across the resistor.

V RI 250 0.028 135 7.07 135 V

R
o o
Solution

6. Find time-domain current and voltages.

i (t ) P I 0.028 cos 500t 135 A

1 o

v (t ) P V 7.07 cos 500t 45 V

L
1

L
o

v (t ) P V 7.07 cos 500t 135 V

R
1

R
o
Concept of Reference Phasor

When no reference angle is given either for the supply

voltage or the supply current, we can define our own
reference angle.
The following examples show the use of the reference phasor
concept in ac circuit analysis.
Worked Example 8

An a.c. circuit consists of a 25 resistor in series with a 40 F

capacitor connected across a 240 V 50 Hz supply. Sketch the
circuit and calculate the current in the circuit, and its phase
angle relative to the supply voltage.
Solution
The time-domain circuit referred to by the question is shown in
Figure a. Its phasor equivalent is shown in Figure b.

I
i

VR R
vR R
VS
vS

VC ZC
vC C

(a) (b)
Notes

1. The supply voltage is given as an rms value. Because our

definition of phasor uses peak value for the magnitude of the
phasor, we need to multiply the rms value with 2 to convert
it into peak value.
2. The question does not give any information on the phase
angle of the supply voltage. To represent the supply voltage
with a phasor, we need to assign any arbitrary angle to it.
For simplicity, we choose 0o as the phase angle for the supply
voltage phasor. That is, we write

VS 2 2400o

3. By assigning an angle to the supply voltage phasor, it means

that we have chosen it to be the reference phasor. The
angles of other phasors in the circuit are measured with
respect to this reference angle.
The impedance seen by the source is
1
Z Z Z 25 25 j 79.57
j 2 50 40 10
R C 6

The supply current is

V
I S

Therefore,

2 2400o
I 4.06972.56 o A
25 j 79.57
The time domain current is

i (t ) 4.069 cos t 72.56o A

The phasor diagram for circuit is shown in Figure 8. Since the

supply voltage phasor has a phase angle of 0o and the current
phasor has a phase angle of -72.56o, the current phasor lags
behind the supply voltage phasor by 72.56o.

Im

VS
Re
Worked Example 9

A 10 resistor is connected in series with a 120 F capacitor

across a 20 V, 100 Hz supply. Calculate
i. impedance of the circuit,
ii. current, and
iii. voltage drop across each component.

Solution
The phasor domain circuit is shown in the figure below.
I

VR R
VS

VC C
The total circuit impedance is given by
1
Z R
j C
Substituting in the given values for R and C into the above
equation, we obtain

1
Z 10
j 2 100 120 10 6
Therefore,

Z 16.61 52.984 o
Let VS be the reference phasor so that we can write

VS VS 0o 2 200o

The circuit current is given by

VS
I
Z
2 200o

16.61 52.984 o

Therefore,

I 1.70352.98o
The phasor voltage drop VR is given by

VR RI 10 1.70352.98o

VR 17.0352.98o
The phasor voltage drop VC is given by

I 1.70352.98 o
VC
jC j 2 100 120 10 6

VC 225.867142.98 o
Worked Example 10
A resistor and a capacitor are connected in series across a
240 V, 50 Hz supply. If the current flow in the circuit is 5 A,
leading the applied voltage by 45.6 o, calculate
a. impedance of the circuit
b. phase angle,
c. the resistance and the capacitance
d. the voltage drop across each component.
Solution
The phasor domain circuit is shown in the figure.
Let VS be the reference phasor so that we can write

VS VS 0o 2 2400o
Given that the phasor current I has a magnitude of 5 A and leads
the applied voltage by 45.6o, so we can write
I

I I45.6 o 2 545.6 o
VR R
Therefore, VS

VS 2 2400o VC C
Z 48 45 .6 o

I 2 545.6o
Referring to the impedance triangle shown below, we obtain

R Z cos 48 cos 45.6o 33.58
Again referring to the impedance triangle in Figure 10, we obtain

X C Z 2 R 2 482 33.584 2 34.296

giving
C 1 / X C 1 / 2 50 34.296 92.81 F
Im

R Re

XC= 1/C
Z
Worked Example 11

A circuit having a resistance of 25 and an inductance of 12.5

mH is connected to a 100 V, 400 Hz a.c. supply. Calculate the
current in the circuit, and its phase angle relative to the supply
voltage.

Solution
The circuit referred to by the question is shown in the following
figure.
We note that in this problem we are not
given the circuit but have to draw it 25
ourselves and provide our own labels and 100 V rms

reference directions for the circuits 400 Hz

current and voltages. 12.5 mH
Solution

To use phasor analysis technique to solve the problem, we first need

to label the circuit current and the various voltage drops in the
circuit and assign a reference direction for each. The labelled time-
domain circuit is shown in the figure.
i

vR 25

vS (t ) 2 100 cos t

vL 12.5
mH

Note that since we have not been given the phase angle of the
supply voltage, we have conveniently assumed it to be zero. In other
words, we have assumed the supply voltage as the reference
phasor.
The phasor domain circuit is shown in the figure below.

jXL = j2x400x12.5 x10-3 = j31.416 I

VR 25

VS 2 100 0o V
Note VL jXL = j31.416
To convert rms value of a voltage or a current
to peak value, multiply the given rms value with 2
Ohms law gives

VR I R

VL I j L

Substituting the constraint equations obtained above into the

KVL equation we get

VS I R jLI I R jL
or,
VS
I
R jL
 VS
Therefore, I
R jL

2 1000 o

25 j 2 400 12.5 10 3

141.4210 o
2.193 j 2.756
25 j 31.416

3.522 51.49o A
The time domain current is

i (t ) 3.522 cos t 51.49o A
The phasor diagram for circuit is shown in the following figure.
Since the supply voltage phasor has a phase angle of 0 o and the
current phasor has a phase angle of -51.49o, the current phasor
lags behind the supply voltage phasor by 51.49 o.

Im

VS
Re

I
Exercise

Given the following circuit, determine

i. impedance of the circuit
ii. the source current
iii. the voltage drop across each component.
iv. Sketch the impedance and phasor diagram.

3.3 k

8 V rms
20 kHz

15 mH
Exercise

Given the following circuit, determine

i. impedance of the circuit
ii. the source current
iii. the voltage drop across each component.
iv. Sketch the impedance and phasor diagram.

4 k

Vs 150o V rms

XL = 6 k
Exercise

A series circuit consisting of a resistance of 50 , an inductance

of 0.4 H, and a capacitance of 100 F is connected to a 240 V,
50 Hz single-phase supply.

Calculate
(a) the impedance of the circuit
(b) The current flowing, and
(c) The p.d. across each component
(d) The phase angle
END