Calculating Current from a Capacitor Bank: Tolerate My Ignorance Wise Ones

[kenw232]

Tolerate my ignorance wise ones.

I'm trying to get a simple common sense explanation to figure out how much current I can get from a capacitor bank and for how long.

I read that 1 Farad is 1 Ampere second per Volt. So does this mean that a 1 farad capacitor charged with 1V will dissipate its 1 amp charge in 1 second (if shorted). Is this mostly correct?

So if I charged this 1 Farad cap with 12V does that mean it has 12 Amps at 12V because its “per volt”?

Also if I’m creating a capacitor bank I want them in parallel if I want all the power to come out at once right?

 

[berkeman]

Tolerate my ignorance wise ones.

I'm trying to get a simple common sense explanation to figure out how much current I can get from a capacitor bank and for how long.

I read that 1 Farad is 1 Ampere second per Volt. So does this mean that a 1 farad capacitor charged with 1V will dissipate its 1 amp charge in 1 second (if shorted). Is this mostly correct?

So if I charged this 1 Farad cap with 12V does that mean it has 12 Amps at 12V because its “per volt”?

Also if I’m creating a capacitor bank I want them in parallel if I want all the power to come out at once right?

Welcome to the PF. Couple basic equations you can use:

Q = C * V
the charge Q [Coulombs] is equal to the capacitance [Farads] * voltage [Volts]

I = dQ / dt
the current I [Amps] is equal to the amount of charge dQ [Coulombs] passing a point in a given time dt [seconds]

You should be able to use these to start to figure out how much current you can get from capacitors for some time period. However, you don't generally short the output of capacitors. You apply some load resistance R, and the capacitor discharges with an exponentially decreasing voltage and current characteristic. Remember the fundamental equation:

V = I * R
voltage [Volts] equals the current I [Amps] * resistance R [Ohms]

 

[oswaler]

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out and showing an interest in understanding how to calculate current from a capacitor bank. I would be happy to provide you with some insights and explanations to help clarify your questions.

First of all, it is important to understand that a capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in the form of an electric field. The amount of energy it can store is measured in units of capacitance called Farads (F). The higher the capacitance, the more energy it can store.

Now, to answer your first question, you are correct in saying that 1 Farad is equal to 1 Ampere second per Volt. This means that if a 1 Farad capacitor is charged with 1 Volt, it will dissipate 1 Ampere of current in 1 second when shorted. However, this does not mean that it will only have a capacity of 1 Ampere. The current that can be drawn from a capacitor depends on the voltage it is charged with. So, if you charge a 1 Farad capacitor with 12 Volts, it will have a capacity of 12 Amperes at 12 Volts.

Now, let's talk about capacitor banks. A capacitor bank is essentially a group of capacitors connected in parallel or in series to increase the overall capacitance. When connected in parallel, the total capacitance of the bank is the sum of the individual capacitances. This means that if you have two 1 Farad capacitors connected in parallel, the total capacitance would be 2 Farads.

In terms of current, if you want to discharge all the energy from the capacitor bank at once, then yes, you would want to connect them in parallel. This would allow you to draw the maximum amount of current from the bank. However, if you want to discharge the energy over a longer period of time, then connecting them in series would be more appropriate.

I hope this helps in clarifying your questions. Please let me know if you have any further inquiries. Keep asking questions and seeking knowledge, it's the best way to learn.