What Happens When an Inductor is Open Circuited?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of an inductor being open-circuited and the effects on a normal inductor versus a superconductor inductor. It concludes that in an open circuit, a spark will occur in both cases and the assumption of an open-circuited inductor without sparking is not possible.
  • #1
12Element
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Hello everybody,
First of all I want to thank you all for this great forum.

My question is if a superconductor inductor is charged with a certain voltage and then it is
open circuited what will happen.
My very basic understanding tells me that if the inductor is not a superconductor (it has
intrinsic resistance) the induced EMF will first accumulate opposite charges at each end
of the inductor and then the charges will move from the higher potential end to the lower
potential end in a decaying manner (a simple RL circuit) and all the energy will be dissipated
as heat due to the inductor intrinsic resistance, am I right?

And for a superconductor inductor, the same will take place however, the charges will remain
at each end (acting like a capacitor) storing the energy in the form of electric field as long as the temperature is low enough to maintain the superconductivity condition otherwise, the
law of conservation of energy will be broken because energy have nowhere to go, again am I
right?


Thank you again for all your efforts.

Regards.
 
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  • #2
First, you don't "charge" an inductor with a voltage, you do it with a current.

When inductors are "open-circuited" they spark across the gap as the circuit opens, with the energy of the spark equivalent to the energy in the inductor. Why would a superconducting inductor act any differently in principle?
 
  • #3
Thank for replying.
What I have understood from your reply is that when the inductor
is open-circuited it will have to spark (giving that no clamping method
is provided), and therefore all of my assumption (which is based on
the assumption that you could open-circuit an inductor without having
it to spark) don't even have a reason to occur.
 
  • #4
12Element said:
Thank for replying.
What I have understood from your reply is that when the inductor
is open-circuited it will have to spark (giving that no clamping method
is provided), and therefore all of my assumption (which is based on
the assumption that you could open-circuit an inductor without having
it to spark) don't even have a reason to occur.

Yes, that is correct, otherwise it would be possible to have a the same amount of current flowing through an open circuit as through the closed circuit, which just doesn't make any sense. How could you have current in an open circuit?
 
  • #5
Thank you very much, that clarified a lot for me.
 

1. What is an inductor and how does it work?

An inductor is a passive electronic component that is used to store energy in the form of a magnetic field. It consists of a coil of wire that is often wrapped around a core made of a magnetic material. When an electric current flows through the coil, it creates a magnetic field, which can then be used to store energy. This stored energy can then be released back into the circuit when the current stops flowing.

2. What is the purpose of an inductor in a circuit?

An inductor serves several purposes in a circuit. It can act as a filter, blocking certain frequencies of current and allowing others to pass through. It can also be used to smooth out fluctuations in current, acting as a stabilizer. Additionally, inductors are often used in combination with capacitors to create oscillators, which generate signals at a specific frequency.

3. What factors affect the inductance of an inductor?

The inductance of an inductor is affected by several factors, including the number of turns in the coil, the size and shape of the coil, and the material of the core. The inductance also increases as the current flowing through the coil increases.

4. Is there a limit to how much energy an inductor can store?

Yes, there is a limit to how much energy an inductor can store. This limit is determined by the maximum amount of magnetic flux that the inductor can handle before it becomes saturated. Once the inductor reaches this limit, it can no longer store any more energy.

5. Can the inductance of an inductor be changed?

Yes, the inductance of an inductor can be changed by altering the factors that affect it, such as the number of turns, size and shape of the coil, and the material of the core. Additionally, the inductance can also be changed by varying the current flowing through the coil.

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