What are Lighting Capacitors and What Are there Uses?
Before we delve further into what a lighting capacitor is, let's first understand what a capacitor is and how it works.
The idea of capacitors and their functions is intimidating
to understand, but it is not exaggerated. Capacitors are used to temporarily
store electrical charges and release the stored charge very quickly (often
within seconds). Why is this information you may ask? Capacitors are an
integral part of running the electrical equipment and machinery we depend on.
Whether it's Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown's fictional DeLorean flow
condenser or the storm cloud above us, it's very likely that we've seen the
concept of a condenser in some way.
How do capacitors work?
Capacitors come in a variety of
shapes and sizes, but they usually contain the same basic components, including
two conductors (called plates) separated by a non-conductive insulator (called
an insulator). These two plates inside the capacitor are connected by two
electrical connections (two or three connections connected to electrical
circuits) called terminals. When the capacitors are properly connected and
turned on, the board will gradually build up charges. This is called charging.
When a voltage is applied, it cannot penetrate the insulator, and new electrons
collect on one plate to generate a positive charge, while the other plate
repels the electrons to generate a negative charge. Then, this insulator in the
center of the two charged plates stores energy. Capacitors retain their charge
when the power is cut off, but the charge slowly leaks out over time. This is
called discharge.
Lighting Capacitor
A device that acts as a lighting capacitor, a very small
battery in the circuit. Core capacitors consist of two metal plates separated
by a thin insulating plate called an insulator. When a voltage is applied
across the capacitor, a small amount of electricity is stored in the metal
plate. When the voltage drops, the capacitor discharges the stored electricity.
Capacitors are among the most useful electronic components and are used in
everything from computer memory to car ignition.
Before we understand how lighting capacitors work with
fluorescent lighting, we need to know a few things about the lighting itself.
It is difficult to control fluorescent lamps. It has electrodes on both ends
and works by sending an electric current through the gas between those
electrodes. When the lights are first lit, the gas is electrically resistant.
However, when electricity begins to flow, the resistance drops sharply and the
current flows faster and faster. If nothing is done to control the speed of the
current, so much electricity will flow that the gas temperature will rise and
the light bulb will explode.
The
ballast controls the current through the valve, and the capacitor makes the
ballast more efficient. The simplest ballast is a wire coil. When electricity
flows into the coil, a magnetic field is created. The field resists the flow of
electricity and prevents its build-up. The electricity that powers fluorescent
lamps is alternating current or alternating current. That is, it switches
directions several times per second. When electricity circulates, the moving
magnetic field in the coil slows it down. When the electricity begins to
increase, it is already turning around again. The coil is always one step ahead
and does not allow much current to flow.
However,
the file is expensive. Electricity has two measurements, voltage and current.
Also called electric current. Voltage is a measure of how much electricity is
being pushed, and ampere is a measure of the amount of electricity flowing
through a circuit. In an effective AC circuit, the voltage and current are in
phase - they both increase and decrease. However, when voltage is pushed to the
ballast, the ballast initially resists the increase in current. This causes the
current to lag behind the voltage and renders the circuit ineffective. Capacitors
are there to make the circuit more efficient by bringing the two back into
phase.
When the
voltage rises, the capacitor absorbs it a little. This means that there is a
slight delay before the voltage passes through the circuit and is back in phase
with the current. When the voltage drops again, the capacitor expels a small
amount of the accumulated voltage. This causes a small delay before the voltage
drops and coincides with the current again. The role of ballast is
unattractive, but important. If the circuit is not calculated correctly, a lot
of energy may be wasted.
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