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The Effect of Voltage Reversal on Capacitor Life

From General Atomics Energy Products
 

 
Reversal is a critical parameter in the selection or design of DC and energy discharge capacitors. This document will describe how this parameter effects the selection and design of capacitors for any given application. Voltage reversal is defined as the changing of the relative polarity of the capacitor terminals, such as may be experienced during a ringing or oscillating pulse discharge, during AC operation, or as the result of DC charging the capacitor in the opposite polarity from which it had been previously DC charged. Current reversal is defined as the changing of the direction of current flow through the capacitor. In an underdamped RLC circuit, the energy in the circuit oscillates back and forth between the capacitance and the inductance. In this case, both the capacitor voltage and current oscillate with the same percentage of reversal.
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Power resistors are used in power generation and distribution, high-voltage applications, control systems, and other power system applications. They include load banks, grounding resistors, and dynamic braking resistors. Search by Specification | Learn more about Power Resistors
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