Calculate DC current through an inductor?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the DC current through a series circuit containing a DC voltage source, an inductor, and a capacitor. Participants explore the effects of the inductor and capacitor on the current over a short time interval after closing the switch.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes using the formula V=L*di/dt to calculate the current, suggesting an initial current of 1.3mA based on their rearrangement of the equation.
  • Another participant argues that the circuit quickly settles to a steady state, implying the use of V=IR, where R is the DC resistance of the inductor, which they state is zero for an ideal inductor.
  • A different participant emphasizes the need to include the capacitor's voltage in the analysis, suggesting a second-order differential equation approach to solve for the current.
  • One participant expresses a lack of familiarity with differential equations and requests a step-by-step solution.
  • Another participant acknowledges the need to consider the capacitor and describes the system as a damped/driven harmonic oscillator, referencing the impulse response of the RCL circuit.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the correct approach to calculate the current, with multiple competing views on how to incorporate the effects of the inductor and capacitor into the analysis.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the complexity of the transient response in RCL circuits and the need for differential equations to fully understand the behavior of the circuit over time. There are unresolved mathematical steps and assumptions regarding the ideal components used in the circuit.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students and enthusiasts of electrical engineering, particularly those looking to deepen their understanding of RCL circuits and transient analysis.

hobbs125
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Hi everyone,

Say I have a series DC circuit. The circuit contains a 100V DC source, a switch, a 1.5H inductor, and a 1nF capacitor (all in series).

If I close the switch for 2uS what is the current at that time?

Initially I thought I could rearrange V=L*di/dt to

V*Ton/L = di/dt which would be 100*.000002/.150=1.3mA?

For some reason I am thinking this is not right since the capacitor charge should also effect the current.

Can anyone help me understand and calculate this correctly?
 
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Once you have turned the circuit on it settles to a steady state very quickly - so you use V=IR - where R is the DC resistance of the inductor. An ideal inductor is just a length of wire ... R=0.

The transient response requires you solve the differential equation.

For an ideal switch closed for time T, ##v(t)=V_0\big ( u(t)-u(t-T)\big )##
 
Include the cap voltage too, which is 1/c times integral of i(t) dt. Basically a KVL. Take derivative to get rid of integral and get a 2nd order diff eq. Then solve for i(t)
 
Ok, I guess I need to go study differential equations. Never got that far in math.

Could anyone show me step by step how to solve?
 
Last edited:
I missed the cap - right ... the solution is a damped/driven harmonic oscilator.
You can look it up. The driving function is the unput voltage as a function of time.
The u(t) function in post #2 are the Heaviside step function ... which you can look up too.

It would be a bit like pushing a pendulum off equilibrium and holding it for a bit before letting it go.

What you get is, basically, called the "impulse response" of the RCL circuit.
That's something else you can look up.

If you set it up right you can make it "ring" like a bell.
 

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