ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Difference between a cell and a battery:

A cell which was invented in the 1800s by Alessandro Volta which at hat time was referred to as a voltaic cell or a voltaic pile, it is made from different chemicals which when react produce electrical energy thus it is called a electrochemical cell. However a battery is the device through which the cells power is utilized to perform a specific task, such as supplying electro-chemical energy to a toy car. A battery can be made of a single cell or they can be made up of cells connected into series or parallel to provide a specific voltage.

Showing that a battery is made of cells:

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Standard circuit symbol for cell and battery

A cell: *longer side positive, shorter side negative + -

A battery: + -

Comparison between Primary & Secondary cells

Primary cell: Is a cell in which the chemical reactions that are used to turn chemical energy into electrical energy is irreversible, this means that once the electrical current has been produced from the chemical reactions inside the cell electrical energy can no longer be produced so the battery must be disposed of.

Secondary cell/storage cell: The chemical reactions which take place in Secondary cells however can be reversed, they work by first getting their electrical energy from an external source (charger) which is converted into chemical energy, when the external source is taken away (charger) the process is reversed and chemical energy is converted into electrical current, they can be used (discharged) and recharged after.

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Comparison contd
Primary Cells Their costs are generally low They are disposable They can be replaced easily Their use is limited to certain fields Secondary cells Their initial cost of purchase is high They must be recharged Replacements are not produced in extent like Primary Cells They can be used in a wide range of fields, e.g. a secondary Cell can be used in a Vehicle.

How Cells Work

A Battery works by having two electrodes; the anode and the cathode where the anode may be the negative and the cathode may be positive in a traditional battery, it all depends on the way the battery is developed. In between the cathode and the anode is a chemical called an electrolyte which maybe solid or liquid, the chemical reactions cause a buildup of electrons at the anode, thus an electrical difference becomes existent between the two electrodes, to rearrange themselves to get rid of the electrical difference the electrons at the anodes try to get to the cathodes, but they cant go directly from the anode, through electrolyte, then the cathode, so the only way they can get to the cathode is when the circuit is closed, this happens when a conducting material such as a wire is connected from the anode to the cathode; negative pole to positive pole or vice versa.

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Battery Type
Carbon-zinc 3.5

Approximate Shelf Life (years)

Alkaline

10+

Lithium

10-15

Silver Oxide

10+

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

How transformers work

Transformers are electrical devices that are used to convert AC at a particular voltage to AC at a different voltage but with the same frequency. Transformers are made of two chief components; primary and secondary coils called windings which are made from insulated wire, when AC comes through the primary coil through the input line, a varying magnetic flux is produced in the core of the transformer causing a varying magnetic field in the secondary coils which causes a varying voltage in the secondary winding an effect known as inductive coupling. If there are more coils in the secondary winding than the primary winding then the transformer a is Step-up transformer i.e. it increases the voltage output but lowers the current. Vice versa if the primary winding has more coils than the secondary winding then the transformer becomes a Step-down transformer i.e. it lowers voltage output but heightens current:

Basic construction of a transformer:

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Transformers are made up of four (4) basic components; Primary winding Secondary winding Core which supports windings Enclosure

Primary winding: The primary winding is connected to the input connection which is the energy from the AC source, it is important because it produces the varying magnetic flux which induces a varying magnetic field in the secondary coil allowing for energy passing through the transformer to be stepped up or down. Secondary winding: The secondary winding receives a varying magnetic field from the primary coil which induces a voltage and delivers it to the load (the device that is connected to the transformer). The core: The core supports the secondary and primary windings and it is also the path through which the magnetic flux is established, transformers made from a soft-iron-core provide better power transfer because the core itself is made from laminated sheets of steel which dissipate heat readily providing efficient transfer of power. The enclosure: The enclosure primary importance is to protect the primary windings, secondary windings and core from moisture, dirt and damage from the outside environment.

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Energy losses in Transformers

Before I explain the losses in transformers its important to remember the law of conservation of energy which states that energy cannot me created nor destroyed, instead it can only be transferred from one form to another; thus no man made machine is 100% efficient. 1. Eddy Currents: Eddy currents in general terms are stray currents of electricity created by induction in conductors. They are caused when a magnetic field sweeps a conductor causing induction and tiny voltages with tiny currents are set up, these new tiny currents in turn create small magnetic fields that oppose the original magnetic field which caused them. In a transformer the primary windings cause an expanding and contracting magnetic field which sweeps the secondary winding and induces voltage in the secondary winding but at the same time induces voltage in the core of the transformer causing eddy currents. To combat Eddy Currents the cores of transformers are usually laminated to provide some insulation between the materials of the core which will reduce eddy currents. 2. Hysteresis losses: Hysteresis losses occur each time a magnetic field is reversed causing loss of energy. 3. Winding resistance: Current flowing through the windings of the transformer causes energy to be lost through heat, this form of energy lost where heat is produced by electric current flowing through an inductor is called resistive heating.

4. Mechanical losses: The alternating magnetic field in the primary coil causes fluctuating magnetic forces between the coils of the primary winding, the coils of the secondary wind and other conducting materials within the structure of the transformer causing vibrations and noise which consume power. 5. Magnetostriction: This loss is caused by the core of the transformer expanding and contracting slightly with each cycle of the magnetic field causing loss of energy through frictional heating.

Uriahs Victor

ELECTRICITY

November 18, 2011

Autotransformers and Power Transformers

In a power transformer/ isolation transformer there are two windings; the primary and the secondary winding on the iron core which are separated from each other and never really have any contact. In an autotransformer there is only one single winding where a portion of it acts as the primary and the other portion as the secondary winding and the two are connected electrically, because there is only one main winding which acts as the primary and secondary winding autotransformers are usually lighter and cheaper than regular isolation transformers which have two main windings. A disadvantage with autotransformers however is that a failure of the insulation of the windings can result in a full input voltage coming from the AC source being distributed to the load.

Uses and applications of transformers

They are used in schools, hotels, hospitals, airports, homes to step-up or stepdown voltage so that different electrical devices can be used without blowing them off if too high a voltage is applied or not working because of too low a voltage. Transformers are used in distribution substations to step-up or step-down the voltage coming from the power plant. Pole-mounted transformers change the voltage of the current flowing through the power lines. Transformers are used in power stations to step up the voltage so that energy lost while passing through the pole lines before getting to the substations do not cause a big loss of energy. The law of conservation of energy is evident in this case since electrical energy is converted to heat energy while going through the pole lines, this is known as the heating effect of currents; In a medium, the higher the current the higher amount of energy that is lost, so by making the voltage higher at the power stations, where voltage is the factor which controls how quickly the electrons move (in this case across the pole lines), then the current lost becomes less to keep energy the same and arrive at the substation with as little loss of energy as possible.

Uriahs Victor