Chapter 5 – Part 2

AC – Bridges
Comparison Bridges

Capacitance
1

Measurements

Dr. Wael Salah

 5.5 AC - BRIDGES
AC - Bridges enable us to perform precise
measurements for the following :
 Reactance (capacitance and inductance)
measurements.
 Determining the (Q-factor OR D-factor).
 Frequency measurements.
 Testing and analyzing of antenna and
transmission line performance
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Dr. Wael Salah

 AC BRIDGE
The basic circuit of an ac bridge is exactly the same as the Wheatstone
bridge circuit except that impedances are used instead of resistances, and
the supply is an ac-source. Also, the null detector must be an ac instrument.
Principle Structure
The bridge offset voltage can be found as:
 Z3 Z4 

VV   V V
 Z1  Z3 Z 2  Z 4 
Z1 Z2
For balancing condition: (V=0)
VAC
Therefore, Z1.Z4 = Z2.Z3
For AC-bridges, the null-condition is only valid if Va and Z3 Z4
Vb are equal in amplitude and also same in-phase.

* First balance condition  =amplitude 3

* 2nd balance condition  in-phase

Dr. Wael Salah
 EXAMPLE : VA AND VB

Va Va Va

Vbb
V Vb Vb

Va – Vb  0 Va - Vb  0 Va - Vb = 0

Va and Vb are
Va and Vb are equal Va and Vb are equal in
in amplitude but equal in-phase amplitude and
not in-phase. but not equal in 4
in-phase.
amplitude.
Dr. Wael Salah
 EXAMPLE 7
The impedances of the bridge arms are

Z1  20030 ; Z 2  1500
Z3  250  40 Z x  Z 4  unknown
;

Determine the values of the unknown arm.

Z1 Z2
VAC
Z3 Z4
5

Dr. Wael Salah

 Solution 7
The first condition for balance requires that
Z 2 Z 3 150  250
Z1Z x  Z 2 Z 3 ; Zx    187.5
Z1 200

The second condition for balance requires that the sum of the phase angles of opposite
arms should be equal
1   x   2  3 ;  x   2  3  1  0  (40)  30  70

Hence the unknown arm impedance Zx can be written as

Z x  187.5  70  (64.13  j176.19)

Where, Zx= x + j y = R +jX

x = r cos φ = 187.5 cos (-70) = 64.13 6

y = r sin φ = 187.5 sin (-70) = -176.19

Dr. Wael Salah
CAPACITORS EQUIVALENT CIRCUITS
Capacitor Equivalent Circuits:
The equivalent circuit of a capacitor consists of a pure capacitance C and
a resistance R .
Where, Cp represents the actual capacitance value,
and Rp represents the resistance of the dielectric or leakage resistance.
 Capacitors with a high-resistance dielectric are best represented by a series RC
circuit,
 Capacitors with a low-resistance dielectric represented by the parallel RC
circuit .

j
The series impedance is Z s  Rs 
wCs RS

RP C
1 P
The parallel admittance is Yp   j wC p CS
Rp 7

Dr. Wael Salah

 D-FACTOR OF A CAPACITOR
The quality of a capacitor can be expressed in terms of its
power dissipation.
A very pure capacitor has a high dielectric resistance (low
leakage current) and virtually zero power dissipation.
The dissipation factor or D-factor is simply the ratio of the
component reactance (at a given frequency) to the resistance
measurable at its terminals.

Xp 1
For a parallel equivalent circuit D  RS
R p wC p R p
RP C
P
CS
Rs
For a series equivalent circuit D  wCs Rs 8
Xs
Dr. Wael Salah
INDUCTORS EQUIVALENT CIRCUITS
Inductor Equivalent Circuits:
• The series equivalent circuit represents an inductor as a pure
inductance LS , in series with the resistance of its coil RS .
• This series equivalent circuit is normally the best way to
represent an inductor, because the actual winding resistance
is involved and this is an important quantity.
• The parallel RL equivalent circuit for an inductor can also be
used.

RS
The series impedance is Z s  Rs  jwLs
R LP
P

1 j LS
The parallel admittance is Yp  
R p wL p 9

Dr. Wael Salah

 Q - FACTOR OF AN INDUCTOR
The quality of an inductor can be defined in terms of its power
dissipation.
An ideal inductor should have zero winding resistance, and
therefore zero power dissipated in the winding.
The quality factor or Q-factor, of the inductor is the ratio of its
inductive reactance to its resistance at the operating frequency.

RS
X s wLs
For a series equivalent circuit: Q 
Rs Rs RP LP
LS

Rp Rp
For a parallel equivalent circuit : Q 
Xp wL p 10

Dr. Wael Salah

 5.6.1. CAPACITANCE COMPARISON BRIDGES
i) Series-Resistance Capacitance Bridge (also known as Similar-angle bridge)
 The unknown capacitance CS is represented in series with resistance RS.
 A standard adjustable resistance R1 is connected in series with C1.
 To obtain a bridge balance, resistors R1 and either C1 are adjusted
alternately.
The impedances are:
j
Z1  R1  ; Z 3  R3
wC1
j
Z 2  Rs  ; Z 4  R4
wCs
When the bridge is balanced:
Z1  Z 4  Z 2  Z 3
 j   j 
 R1    R4   Rs    R3 11
 wC1   wCs 
Dr. Wael Salah
 1. CAPACITANCE BRIDGES
Then the equation is simplified as:

R4 R3
R1 R4  j  Rs R3  j
wC1 wC s
After equating the real terms for both sides, we get:

R1R4
R1R4  Rs R3 RS 
R3

And by equating the Imaginary terms both sides, we get: :

R4 R3 C1 R3
j j CS 
wC1 wCs R4
12

Dr. Wael Salah

EXAMPLE
A series resistance-capacitance bridge as shown below has a 0.1F
standard capacitor for C1, and R3= 10k. Balance is achieved with
100Hz supply frequency when R1=125 and R4=14.7k. Calculate
the resistive and capacitive components of measured capacitor and
its dissipation factor.
Z1
SOLUTION
Z2
R1 RS
C1 R3 0.1 10k C1 CS
CS    0.068 F
R4 14.7k G

R3 R4
R1R4 125 14.7k
RS    183.75 Z3 Z4
R3 10k

D  wCS RS  2 100  0.068 106 183.75  0.00785 13

Dr. Wael Salah

 II) PARALLEL-RESISTANCE CAPACITANCE BRIDGE (ALSO
KNOWN AS SIMILAR-ANGLE BRIDGE)
In this bridge the unknown capacitance is represented by its parallel equivalent
circuit; Cp in parallel with Rp, and Z3 and Z4 are resistors.
 The bridge balance is achieved by adjustment of R1 and C1.
The load impedances are:
1 1 1 1
Y1    jwC1 ; Yp    jwC p
Z1 R1 Z2 Rp
Z 3  R3 ; Z 4  R4
When the bridge is balanced:
Cp
Z1
Z1Z 4  Z 2 Z 3 R1 Rp Z2
C1
 R1   Rp 
   R4     R3 V
 1  jwC1R1   1  jwC p R p 
  R3 R4
Z3 Z4
After equating the real & Imaginary terms:
R1R4 C1R3 14
RP  and CP 
R3 R4 Dr. Wael Salah
EXERCISE 6
Find the parallel equivalent circuit for CS and RS values
determined in Example 8. Also determine the component
values of R1 and R4 required to balance the calculated CP
and RP values in a parallel resistance-capacitance bridge.
Assume that R3 remains at 10k and C1 at 0.1F .

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Dr. Wael Salah

SOLUTION EXERCISE 6

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Dr. Wael Salah

EXAMPLE
A parallel-resistance capacitance bridge has a standard capacitance
value of 0.1F. Balance is achieved at a supply frequency of 100Hz
when R3= 10k, R1=375k , and R4=14.7k.
Determine the resistive and capacitive components of the measured
capacitor and its dissipation factor (D-factor).

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Dr. Wael Salah

Solution
For the given parallel-resistance capacitance bridge, find Rp , Cp and the D-factor :-

C1R3 0.1F 10k

CP    0.068F
R4 14.7k

R1 R4 375k  14.7k
RP    551.3k
R3 10k

The dissipation factor is the D-factor

1 1 3
D   42.5  10
wCP RP 2 100  0.068 106  551.3 103

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Dr. Wael Salah