Parallel Combination of Capacitors

The capacitor is a fundamental electronic component that has the ability to store energy. It consists of two metallic plates separated by an insulating material.The insulating material used here can either be plastic, glass or ceramic. The insulating layer is known as the dielectric. Upon connecting the metallic plates of the capacitor to the two terminals of an external battery, they will begin to accumulate positive and negative charges. Capacitors are connected in a circuit, either in series or in parallel. This section will cover the parallel combination of capacitors.

Parallel Combination of Capacitors 

The effective capacitance C is calculated by combining a number of capacitors of capacitance C1, C2, C3…..Cn. However, the way in which the individual capacitors are connected in a circuit determines the effective capacitance C. 

To understand the parallel combination of capacitors, let us arrange two capacitors C1, and C2, in parallel. The capacitors are arranged in the circuit in such a way that the terminals of C1 are connected with the terminals of C2. Let us now apply the same potential difference across both capacitors. The potential difference is denoted by V. Capacitors connected in parallel always have the same voltage across their plates. Despite having the same potential difference, the plate charges on both the capacitors are not the same. 

The plate charge of C1 is given by C1=Q1

The plate charge of C2 is given by C2=Q2

The charge Q is directly proportional to the potential difference V. Hence, the ratio QV is given by, 

C=QV

Where C is the capacitance of the capacitor. 

This equation can be rewritten as Q = CV.

Applying the above equation, we get Q1= C1V and Q2= C2V

The total charge Q is calculated by adding all the individual charges. 

Q = Q1 + Q2

Applying this to the above equation, we get 

Q = CV = C1V + C2V

The effective capacitance C is given by 

C = C1 + C2

Suppose the circuit contains a parallel connection of n capacitors, the value of Q is given by

Q = Q1+ Q2+….Qn 

This can also be written as CV= C1V+C2V+……CnV

The equivalent capacitance is given by 

C = C1+ C2 +…..Cn

The values obtained in the parallel connection of a resistor and a capacitor are exactly opposite to each other. Parallel connection results in additive values for capacitors, and on the other hand, it results in diminished values for resistors.

If a circuit contains several capacitors arranged in a combination of series and parallel connections, calculate the individual capacitances of the series and parallel connections separately. Combine the value to calculate the equivalent capacitance of the entire network. 

Importance of parallel combination of capacitors

One of the advantages of connecting the capacitors in parallel is the storage of more energy, as the equivalent capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitance of all the capacitors present. In other words, capacitors connected in parallel has higher capacitance values. 

Applications of Capacitors connected in parallel

Capacitors connected in parallel have several applications, including the following:

• The applications of parallel capacitors are seen in DC supplies as they help remove the AC ripples and filter the output signal effectively.

• A group of capacitors connected together in series or parallel to store electrical energy is known as a capacitor bank. A capacitor bank that uses capacitors in parallel is used for regenerative braking in huge vehicles. 

• By connecting super capacitors in parallel, a higher capacitance of over 2000 farads can be achieved. 

Conclusion

Capacitors are components that can hold an electrical charge, with the ability to discharge this charge in controlled amounts. Placing multiple capacitors together can be useful, and placing them together in parallel is used in several applications. This section explains the parallel combinations of capacitors in detail and their applications. When you parallel the capacitance of different capacitors, the resulting equivalent capacitance is equal to the sum of their individual capacitance.