The Inductor

The Inductor
An Inductor is a passive electrical component consisting of a coil of wire which is designed to

take advantage of the relationship between magentism and electricity as a result of an electric
current passing through the coil
In our tutorials about Electromagnetism we saw that when an electrical current flows
through a wire conductor, a magnetic flux is developed around that conductor. This
affect produces a relationship between the direction of the magnetic flux, which is
circulating around the conductor, and the direction of the current flowing through the
same conductor. This results in a relationship between current and magnetic flux
direction called, “Fleming’s Right Hand Rule”.
But there is also another important property relating to a wound coil that also exists,
which is that a secondary voltage is induced into the same coil by the movement of
the magnetic flux as it opposes or resists any changes in the electrical current flowing
it.
A Typical Inductor
In its most basic form, an Inductor is nothing more than a coil of wire wound around
a central core. For most coils the current, ( i ) flowing through the coil produces a
magnetic flux, ( NΦ ) around it that is proportional to this flow of electrical current.
An Inductor, also called a choke, is another passive type electrical component
consisting of a coil of wire designed to take advantage of this relationship by inducing
a magnetic field in itself or within its core as a result of the current flowing through the
wire coil. Forming a wire coil into an inductor results in a much stronger magnetic
field than one that would be produced by a simple coil of wire.
Inductors are formed with wire tightly wrapped around a solid central core which can
be either a straight cylindrical rod or a continuous loop or ring to concentrate their
magnetic flux.
The schematic symbol for a inductor is that of a coil of wire so therefore, a coil of wire
can also be called an Inductor. Inductors usually are categorised according to the
type of inner core they are wound around, for example, hollow core (free air), solid
iron core or soft ferrite core with the different core types being distinguished by
adding continuous or dotted parallel lines next to the wire coil as shown below.
Inductor Symbol
The current, i that flows through an inductor produces a magnetic flux that is
proportional to it. But unlike a Capacitor which oppose a change of voltage across
their plates, an inductor opposes the rate of change of current flowing through it due
to the build up of self-induced energy within its magnetic field.
In other words, inductors resist or oppose changes of current but will easily pass a
steady state DC current. This ability of an inductor to resist changes in current and
which also relates current, i with its magnetic flux linkage, NΦ as a constant of
proportionality is called Inductance which is given the symbol L with units of Henry,
(H) after Joseph Henry.
Because the Henry is a relatively large unit of inductance in its own right, for the
smaller inductors sub-units of the Henry are used to denote its value. For example:
Inductance Prefixes
Prefix Symbol Multiplier Power of Ten
milli m 1/1,000 10-3
micro µ 1/1,000,000 10-6
nano n 1/1,000,000,000 10-9
So to display the sub-units of the Henry we would use as an example:

 1mH = 1 milli-Henry – which is equal to one thousandths (1/1000) of an Henry.
 100μH = 100 micro-Henries – which is equal to 100 millionth’s (1/1,000,000) of a
Henry.
Inductors or coils are very common in electrical circuits and there are many factors
which determine the inductance of a coil such as the shape of the coil, the number of
turns of the insulated wire, the number of layers of wire, the spacing between the
turns, the permeability of the core material, the size or cross-sectional area of the
core etc, to name a few.
An inductor coil has a central core area, ( A ) with a constant number of turns of wire
per unit length, ( l ). So if a coil of N turns is linked by an amount of magnetic
flux, Φ then the coil has a flux linkage of NΦ and any current, ( i ) that flows through
the coil will produce an induced magnetic flux in the opposite direction to the flow of
current. Then according to Faraday’s Law, any change in this magnetic flux linkage
produces a self-induced voltage in the single coil of:
 Where:
 N is the number of turns
 A is the cross-sectional Area in m2
 Φ is the amount of flux in Webers
 μ is the Permeability of the core material
 l is the Length of the coil in meters
 di/dt is the Currents rate of change in amps/second
A time varying magnetic field induces a voltage that is proportional to the rate of
change of the current producing it with a positive value indicating an increase in emf
and a negative value indicating a decrease in emf. The equation relating this self-
induced voltage, current and inductance can be found by substituting
the μN2A / l with L denoting the constant of proportionality called the Inductance of
the coil.
The relation between the flux in the inductor and the current flowing through the
inductor is given as: NΦ = Li. As an inductor consists of a coil of conducting wire, this
then reduces the above equation to give the self-induced emf, sometimes called
the back emf induced in the coil too:
Back emf Generated by an Inductor
Where: L is the self-inductance and di/dt the rate of current change.

Inductor Coil
So from this equation we can say that the “self-induced emf = inductance x rate of
current change” and a circuit has an inductance of one Henry will have an emf of one
volt induced in the circuit when the current flowing through the circuit changes at a
rate of one ampere per second.
One important point to note about the above equation. It only relates the emf
produced across the inductor to changes in current because if the flow of inductor
current is constant and not changing such as in a steady state DC current, then the
induced emf voltage will be zero because the instantaneous rate of current change is
zero, di/dt = 0.
With a steady state DC current flowing through the inductor and therefore zero
induced voltage across it, the inductor acts as a short circuit equal to a piece of wire,
or at the very least a very low value resistance. In other words, the opposition to the
flow of current offered by an inductor is very different between AC and DC circuits.
The Time Constant of an Inductor

We now know that the current can not change instantaneously in an inductor
because for this to occur, the current would need to change by a finite amount in zero
time which would result in the rate of current change being infinite, di/dt = ∞, making
the induced emf infinite as well and infinite voltages do no exist. However, if the
current flowing through an inductor changes very rapidly, such as with the operation
of a switch, high voltages can be induced across the inductors coil.
Consider the circuit of the inductor on the right. With the switch, ( S1 ) open, no
current flows through the inductor coil. As no current flows through the inductor, the
rate of change of current (di/dt) in the coil will be zero. If the rate of change of current
is zero there is no self-induced emf, ( VL = 0 ) within the inductor coil.
If we now close the switch (t = 0), a current will flow through the circuit and slowly rise
to its maximum value at a rate determined by the inductance of the inductor. This rate
of current flowing through the inductor multiplied by the inductors inductance in
Henry’s, results in some fixed value self-induced emf being produced across the coil
as determined by Faraday’s equation above, VL = Ldi/dt.
This self-induced emf across the inductors coil, ( VL ) fights against the applied
voltage until the current reaches its maximum value and a steady state condition is
reached. The current which now flows through the coil is determined only by the DC
or “pure” resistance of the coils windings as the reactance value of the coil has
decreased to zero because the rate of change of current (di/dt) is zero in steady
state. In other words, only the coils DC resistance now exists to oppose the flow of
current.
Likewise, if switch, (S1) is opened, the current flowing through the coil will start to fall
but the inductor will again fight against this change and try to keep the current flowing
at its previous value by inducing a voltage in the other direction. The slope of the fall
will be negative and related to the inductance of the coil as shown below.
Current and Voltage in an Inductor
How much induced voltage will be produced by the inductor depends upon the rate of
current change. In our tutorial about Electromagnetic Induction, Lenz’s Law stated
that: “the direction of an induced emf is such that it will always opposes the change
that is causing it”. In other words, an induced emf will always OPPOSE the motion or
change which started the induced emf in the first place.
So with a decreasing current the voltage polarity will be acting as a source and with
an increasing current the voltage polarity will be acting as a load. So for the same
rate of current change through the coil, either increasing or decreasing the magnitude
of the induced emf will be the same.
Inductor Example No1

A steady state direct current of 4 ampere passes through a solenoid coil of 0.5H.
What would be the back emf voltage induced in the coil if the switch in the above
circuit was opened for 10mS and the current flowing through the coil dropped to zero
ampere.
Power in an Inductor
We know that an inductor in a circuit opposes the flow of current, ( i ) through it
because the flow of this current induces an emf that opposes it, Lenz’s Law. Then
work has to be done by the external battery source in order to keep the current
flowing against this induced emf. The instantaneous power used in forcing the
current, ( i ) against this self-induced emf, ( VL ) is given from above as:
Power in a circuit is given as, P = V*I therefore:
An ideal inductor has no resistance only inductance so R = 0 Ω and therefore no

power is dissipated within the coil, so we can say that an ideal inductor has zero
power loss.
Energy in an Inductor
When power flows into an inductor, energy is stored in its magnetic field. When the
current flowing through the inductor is increasing and di/dt becomes greater than
zero, the instantaneous power in the circuit must also be greater than zero, ( P > 0 )
ie, positive which means that energy is being stored in the inductor.
Likewise, if the current through the inductor is decreasing and di/dt is less than zero
then the instantaneous power must also be less than zero, ( P < 0 ) ie, negative
which means that the inductor is returning energy back into the circuit. Then by
integrating the equation for power above, the total magnetic energy which is always
positive, being stored in the inductor is therefore given as:
Energy stored by an Inductor
Where: W is in joules, L is in Henries and i is in Amperes

The energy is actually being stored within the magnetic field that surrounds the
inductor by the current flowing through it. In an ideal inductor that has no resistance
or capacitance, as the current increases energy flows into the inductor and is stored
there within its magnetic field without loss, it is not released until the current
decreases and the magnetic field collapses.
Then in an alternating current, AC circuit an inductor is constantly storing and
delivering energy on each and every cycle. If the current flowing through the inductor
is constant as in a DC circuit, then there is no change in the stored energy
as P = Li(di/dt) = 0.
So inductors can be defined as passive components as they can both stored and
deliver energy to the circuit, but they cannot generate energy. An ideal inductor is
classed as loss less, meaning that it can store energy indefinitely as no energy is
lost.
However, real inductors will always have some resistance associated with the
windings of the coil and whenever current flows through a resistance energy is lost in
the form of heat due to Ohms Law, ( P = I2 R ) regardless of whether the current is
alternating or constant.
Then the primary use for inductors is in filtering circuits, resonance circuits and for
current limiting. An inductor can be used in circuits to block or reshape alternating
current or a range of sinusoidal frequencies, and in this role an inductor can be used
to “tune” a simple radio receiver or various types of oscillators. It can also protect
sensitive equipment from destructive voltage spikes and high inrush currents.
In the next tutorial about Inductors, we will see that the effective resistance of a coil is
called Inductance, and that inductance which as we now know is the characteristic of
an electrical conductor that “opposes a change in the current”, can either be internally
induced, called self-inductance or externally induced, called mutual-inductance.
Next
Inductance of a Coil
Read more Tutorials inInductors
 1. The Inductor
 2. Inductance of a Coil
 3. Mutual Inductance
 4. Inductors in Series
 5. Inductors in Parallel
 6. LR Series Circuit
 7. Inductive Reactance
122 Comments
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Sarfaraz ahmad
Thanks for your help
Posted on September 01st 2019 | 2:27 pm
Reply
Pete
Great explanation.
One thing doesn’t make sense, though, in the Batt-Switch-Inductor circuit timing diagram:
When switch opens again, how can ANY current flow in an open circuit? Shouldn’t the timing
diagram (middle – purple current timing diagram) show IMMEDIATE drop to “zero current”
instead of going down slowly? I.e. when circuit is open, the current has nowhere to go, so it
cannot flow through the inductor, so the current must be zero immediately.
Or am I missing something?
Pete
Posted on August 16th 2019 | 2:39 pm

Reply
Wayne Storr
As explained in the tutorial, the flow of current through an inductor is not instantaneous
but time dependent as given by di/dt. An inductor stores energy in the magnetic field
surrounding it as a direct result of the electrical current flowing through it. When the
switch is opened the current can not change instantly to 0 amps in zero time becuse to
do this an infinite coil voltage would have to exist. What happens is the magnetic field
around the inductor coil collapses as there is no forward current flowing to maintain it.
The decaying magnetic field induces a voltage (back-emf) in the coil which acts like a
battery using the stored energy in the magnetic field to oppose any decrease in current.
But as the current decreases (weakens) the opposition weakens until this tug-of-war
between back-emf and current stops once all the stored energy is depleted by which time
i = 0 amperes.
Reply
Pete
Wayne, thanks for the additional explanation, BUT: is it not true that “current can
flow ONLY in a closed-loop circuit”? I.e. “no circuit -> no current ANYWHERE”?
When switch is opened, circuit is broken, no closed-loop exists, and therefore no
current may flow in or out of the inductor?
thanks,
Pete
Reply

ABELI KIFERA
notes was good give me more notes of electrical
Posted on July 29th 2019 | 11:24 am
Reply
Lojuron Edward
Topic, Inductors (inductance),
Posted on July 23rd 2019 | 6:22 pm
Reply
Lojuron Edward
Inducors (inductance),
Posted on July 22nd 2019 | 9:44 am
Reply
o More

R P Samal
Excellent explanation
Posted on July 02nd 2019 | 2:44 am
Reply
Janakiraman
Good explanation
Posted on June 12th 2019 | 12:31 pm
Reply
upul gamage
best article
Posted on June 10th 2019 | 3:25 pm
Reply
thiru
good explanation…
Posted on April 23rd 2019 | 6:51 am

Reply
Abraham Joseph
Please insert the word ‘insuluated’ in the following sentence in your tutorial: “An Inductor is a
passive electrical component consisting of an ‘ …………’ coil of wire which is designed to take
advantage of the relationship between magnetism and electricity as a result of an electric
current passing through the coil”
Posted on April 09th 2019 | 3:31 pm
Inductance is the name given to the property of a component that opposes the change of
current flowing through it and even a straight piece of wire will have some inductance
Inductors do this by generating a self-induced emf within itself as a result of their

changing magnetic field. In an electrical circuit, when the emf is induced in the same
circuit in which the current is changing this effect is called Self-induction, ( L ) but it
is sometimes commonly called back-emf as its polarity is in the opposite direction to
the applied voltage.
When the emf is induced into an adjacent component situated within the same
magnetic field, the emf is said to be induced by Mutual-induction, ( M ) and mutual
induction is the basic operating principal of transformers, motors, relays etc. Self
inductance is a special case of mutual inductance, and because it is produced within
a single isolated circuit we generally call self-inductance simply, Inductance.
The basic unit of measurement for inductance is called the Henry, ( H ) after Joseph
Henry, but it also has the units of Webers per Ampere ( 1 H = 1 Wb/A ).
Lenz’s Law tells us that an induced emf generates a current in a direction which
opposes the change in flux which caused the emf in the first place, the principal of
action and reaction. Then we can accurately define Inductance as being: “a coil will
have an inductance value of one Henry when an emf of one volt is induced in the coil
were the current flowing through the said coil changes at a rate of one
ampere/second”.
In other words, a coil has an inductance, ( L ) of one Henry, ( 1H ) when the current
flowing through the coil changes at a rate of one ampere/second, ( A/s ). This change
induces a voltage of one volt, ( VL ) in it. Thus the mathematical representation of the
rate of change of current through a wound coil per unit time is given as:
Where: di is the change in the current in Amperes and dt is the time taken for this
current to change in seconds. Then the voltage induced in a coil, ( VL ) with an
inductance of L Henries as a result of this change in current is expressed as:
Note that the negative sign indicates that voltage induced opposes the change in
current through the coil per unit time ( di/dt ).
From the above equation, the inductance of a coil can therefore be presented as:
Where: L is the inductance in Henries, VL is the voltage across the coil and di/dt is the
rate of change of current in Amperes per second, A/s.
Inductance, L is actually a measure of an inductors “resistance” to the change of the
current flowing through the circuit and the larger is its value in Henries, the lower will
be the rate of current change.
We know from the previous tutorial about the Inductor, that inductors are devices that
can store their energy in the form of a magnetic field. Inductors are made from
individual loops of wire combined to produce a coil and if the number of loops within
the coil are increased, then for the same amount of current flowing through the coil,
the magnetic flux will also increase.
So by increasing the number of loops or turns within a coil, increases the coils
inductance. Then the relationship between self-inductance, ( L ) and the number of
turns, ( N ) and for a simple single layered coil can be given as:
Self Inductance of a Coil
 Where:
 L is in Henries
 N is the Number of Turns
 Φ is the Magnetic Flux
 Ι is in Amperes
This expression can also be defined as the magnetic flux linkage, ( NΦ ) divided by
the current, as effectively the same value of current flows through each turn of the
coil. Note that this equation only applies to linear magnetic materials.
Inductance Example No1

A hollow air cored inductor coil consists of 500 turns of copper wire which produces a
magnetic flux of 10mWb when passing a DC current of 10 amps. Calculate the self-
inductance of the coil in milli-Henries.
Inductance Example No2

Calculate the value of the self-induced emf produced in the same coil after a time of
10mS.
The self-inductance of a coil or to be more precise, the coefficient of self-inductance

also depends upon the characteristics of its construction. For example, size, length,
number of turns etc. It is therefore possible to have inductors with very high
coefficients of self induction by using cores of a high permeability and a large number
of coil turns. Then for a coil, the magnetic flux that is produced in its inner core is
equal to:
Where: Φ is the magnetic flux, B is the flux density, and A is the area.
If the inner core of a long solenoid coil with N number of turns per metre length is
hollow, “air cored”, then the magnetic induction within its core will be given as:
Then by substituting these expressions in the first equation above for Inductance will
give us:
By cancelling out and grouping together like terms, then the final equation for the
coefficient of self-inductance for an air cored coil (solenoid) is given as:
 Where:
 L is in Henries
 μο is the Permeability of Free Space (4.π.10-7)
 N is the Number of turns
 A is the Inner Core Area (πr 2) in m2
 l is the length of the Coil in metres
As the inductance of a coil is due to the magnetic flux around it, the stronger the
magnetic flux for a given value of current the greater will be the inductance. So a coil
of many turns will have a higher inductance value than one of only a few turns and
therefore, the equation above will give inductance L as being proportional to the
number of turns squared N2.
EEWeb have a free online Coil Inductance Calculator for calculating the inductance of
a coil for different configurations of wire size and positioning.
As well as increasing the number of coil turns, we can also increase inductance by
increasing the coils diameter or making the core longer. In both cases more wire is
required to construct the coil and therefore, more lines of force exists to produce the
required back emf.
The inductance of a coil can be increased further still if the coil is wound onto a
ferromagnetic core, that is one made of a soft iron material, than one wound onto a
non-ferromagnetic or hollow air core.
Ferrite Core
If the inner core is made of some ferromagnetic material such as soft iron, cobalt or
nickel, the inductance of the coil would greatly increase because for the same
amount of current flow the magnetic flux generated would be much stronger. This is
because the material concentrates the lines of force more strongly through the the
softer ferromagnetic core material as we saw in the Electromagnets tutorial.
So for example, if the core material has a relative permeability 1000 times greater
than free space, 1000μο such as soft iron or steel, then the inductance of the coil
would be 1000 times greater so we can say that the inductance of a coil increases
proportionally as the permeability of the core increases.
Then for a coil wound around a former or core the inductance equation above would
need to be modified to include the relative permeability μr of the new former material.
If the coil is wound onto a ferromagnetic core a greater inductance will result as the
cores permeability will change with the flux density. However, depending upon the
type of ferromagnetic material, the inner cores magnetic flux may quickly reach
saturation producing a non-linear inductance value. Since the flux density around a
coil of wire depends upon the current flowing through it, inductance, L also becomes
a function of this current flow, i.
In the next tutorial about inductors, we will see that the magnetic field generated by a
coil can cause a current to flow in a second coil that is placed next to it. This effect is
called Mutual Inductance, and is the basic operating principle of transformers, motors
and generators.
Previous
The Inductor
Next
Mutual Inductance
 1. The Inductor
116 Comments
Submit
Daniel chand
helo
Posted on September 03rd 2019 | 11:50 pm
Reply
Sachin dave
I want to know the calculations of ferrite core CT winding.. How to select the core and turns..?
Suppose my input in ferrite core CT is 100 amp and output is 10 mili amp then what will be my
core size and how may turns I need to take of Which swag.. Plz suggest ne
Posted on August 29th 2019 | 6:45 am

Reply
Miracle
Thanks for this stuff
Reply
rowan mamdouh
what is the solution of this problem :at certain moment le the electric current passing theough a
coil of résistance 0.4 ohm and inductive coefficient 0.2 Henry is 0.3 A.and increased in the rate
of 0.5A/s , calculate the potentiel diffefence through te coil et that moment
Posted on May 01st 2019 | 1:52 pm
Reply
Satya narayana Setty

E L di/dt
E. 0.2*0.5=0.1
Reply

Kapila
Do sharp bends create inductance?
I have heard more voltages create with sharp bends when surges flow.
Posted on February 28th 2019 | 5:19 am
Reply
Bhanupratap
Self inductance
Posted on February 21st 2019 | 3:29 pm
Reply
Swati Gusain
Hey how can we calculate the time when magnetic energy becomes one- fourth of the
maximum value?
Thanks
Posted on February 21st 2019 | 1:10 am
Reply
o
Pratik
By sending ur mob. no.
Posted on May 22nd 2019 | 5:47 am
Reply
Marco Zerbini
Following the previous comments, it appears that the equation where N is the total number of
turns is dimensionally correct and is coherent with textbooks, but does not seem to give
numbers coherent with the eeweb link for L calculator you provide. For example for:
N=100 turns
d= 1mm (wire diameter)
l=100 mm (coil length, for 100 turns of 1 mm)
D=10 mm loop diameter, hence:
A=(D/2)^2 x pi=7.85E-5 (m^2 coil area)
we have from eeweb calculator L=0.000150 H (150 uH)
and from your equation L=9.87 uH
Which one is correct? Thanks
Posted on February 19th 2019 | 3:30 pm
Reply
o More
Marco Zerbini
The equation for L (yellow background) according to the definitions given afterwards, has:
“N is the Number of turns”
but a few lines before you talk about a “long solenoid coil with N number of turns per metre”
what is the correct value to use for parameter N? Total number of turns? Or turns/meter?
Thanks
Reply
Zackgrimm
Thank You for this information. It is very useful for my science project.
Mutual Inductance
Mutual Inductance is the interaction of one coils magnetic field on another coil as it induces a
voltage in the adjacent coil
In the previous tutorial we saw that an inductor generates an induced emf within itself
as a result of the changing magnetic field around its own turns. When this emf is
induced in the same circuit in which the current is changing this effect is called Self-
induction, ( L ).
However, when the emf is induced into an adjacent coil situated within the same
magnetic field, the emf is said to be induced magnetically, inductively or by Mutual
induction, symbol ( M ). Then when two or more coils are magnetically linked
together by a common magnetic flux they are said to have the property of Mutual
Inductance.
Mutual Inductance is the basic operating principal of the transformer, motors,
generators and any other electrical component that interacts with another magnetic
field. Then we can define mutual induction as the current flowing in one coil that
induces a voltage in an adjacent coil.
But mutual inductance can also be a bad thing as “stray” or “leakage” inductance
from a coil can interfere with the operation of another adjacent component by means
of electromagnetic induction, so some form of electrical screening to a ground
potential may be required.
The amount of mutual inductance that links one coil to another depends very much
on the relative positioning of the two coils. If one coil is positioned next to the other
coil so that their physical distance apart is small, then nearly all of the magnetic flux
generated by the first coil will interact with the coil turns of the second coil inducing a
relatively large emf and therefore producing a large mutual inductance value.
Likewise, if the two coils are farther apart from each other or at different angles, the
amount of induced magnetic flux from the first coil into the second will be weaker
producing a much smaller induced emf and therefore a much smaller mutual
inductance value. So the effect of mutual inductance is very much dependant upon
the relative positions or spacing, ( S ) of the two coils and this is demonstrated below.
Mutual Inductance between Coils
The mutual inductance that exists between the two coils can be greatly increased by
positioning them on a common soft iron core or by increasing the number of turns of
either coil as would be found in a transformer.
If the two coils are tightly wound one on top of the other over a common soft iron core
unity coupling is said to exist between them as any losses due to the leakage of flux
will be extremely small. Then assuming a perfect flux linkage between the two coils
the mutual inductance that exists between them can be given as.
 Where:
 µo is the permeability of free space (4.π.10-7)
 µr is the relative permeability of the soft iron core
 N is in the number of coil turns
 A is in the cross-sectional area in m2
 l is the coils length in meters
Mutual Induction
Here the current flowing in coil one, L1 sets up a magnetic field around itself with
some of these magnetic field lines passing through coil two, L2 giving us mutual
inductance. Coil one has a current of I1 and N1 turns while, coil two has N2 turns.
Therefore, the mutual inductance, M12 of coil two that exists with respect to coil one
depends on their position with respect to each other and is given as:
Likewise, the flux linking coil one, L1 when a current flows around coil two, L2 is
exactly the same as the flux linking coil two when the same current flows around coil
one above, then the mutual inductance of coil one with respect of coil two is defined
as M21. This mutual inductance is true irrespective of the size, number of turns,
relative position or orientation of the two coils. Because of this, we can write the
mutual inductance between the two coils as: M12 = M21 = M.
Then we can see that self inductance characterises an inductor as a single circuit
element, while mutual inductance signifies some form of magnetic coupling between
two inductors or coils, depending on their distance and arrangement, an hopefully we
remember from our tutorials on Electromagnets that the self inductance of each
individual coil is given as:
and
By cross-multiplying the two equations above, the mutual inductance, M that exists
between the two coils can be expressed in terms of the self inductance of each coil.
giving us a final and more common expression for the mutual inductance between
the two coils of:
Mutual Inductance Between Coils

However, the above equation assumes zero flux leakage and 100% magnetic
coupling between the two coils, L1 and L2. In reality there will always be some loss
due to leakage and position, so the magnetic coupling between the two coils can
never reach or exceed 100%, but can become very close to this value in some
special inductive coils.
If some of the total magnetic flux links with the two coils, this amount of flux linkage
can be defined as a fraction of the total possible flux linkage between the coils. This
fractional value is called the coefficient of coupling and is given the letter k.
Coupling Coefficient
Generally, the amount of inductive coupling that exists between the two coils is
expressed as a fractional number between 0 and 1 instead of a percentage (%)
value, where 0 indicates zero or no inductive coupling, and 1 indicating full or
maximum inductive coupling.
In other words, if k = 1 the two coils are perfectly coupled, if k > 0.5 the two coils are
said to be tightly coupled and if k < 0.5 the two coils are said to be loosely coupled.
Then the equation above which assumes a perfect coupling can be modified to take
into account this coefficient of coupling, k and is given as:
Coupling Factor Between Coils
or
When the coefficient of coupling, k is equal to 1, (unity) such that all the lines of flux
of one coil cuts all of the turns of the second coil, that is the two coils are tightly
coupled together, the resulting mutual inductance will be equal to the geometric
mean of the two individual inductances of the coils.
Also when the inductances of the two coils are the same and equal, L1 is equal to L2,
the mutual inductance that exists between the two coils will equal the value of one
single coil as the square root of two equal values is the same as one single value as
shown.
Mutual Inductance Example No1

Two inductors whose self-inductances are given as 75mH and 55mH respectively,
are positioned next to each other on a common magnetic core so that 75% of the
lines of flux from the first coil are cutting the second coil. Calculate the total mutual
inductance that exists between the two coils.
Mutual Inductance Example No2
When two coils having inductances of 5H and 4H respectively were wound uniformly
onto a non-magnetic core, it was found that their mutual inductance was 1.5H.
Calculate the coupling coefficient that exists between.
In the next tutorial about Inductors, we look at connecting together Inductors in

Series and the affect this combination has on the circuits mutual inductance, total
inductance and their induced voltages.
Previous
Next
Inductors in Series
 1. The Inductor
113 Comments
Submit
J byrne
Hello, The most important factor to consider is how to physically calculate the value of K in the
real world. In order for the formula to be of any practical use K has to be known. In particular if
you are using two mutually coupled inductor’s for impedance matching a small shift in K can
result in a massive shift in end results.
Reply
Bhagyasri Sugandham
Good explanation

Reply
Arbajmarshal
Its easy for understanding about mutual inductance
Reply
mj p
well explained
Posted on May 31st 2019 | 4:48 am
Reply
Priyansh patel
Good content here
Posted on April 23rd 2019 | 1:24 pm
Reply

Mohit
Hi sweet friend
Posted on March 11th 2019 | 10:30 am
Reply
Bikash Bag
Good
Reply
Mansi Markunde
Very nice and understanding easily to everyone
Posted on February 03rd 2019 | 5:21 pm
Reply
Jayasuriya
Not nice
Posted on January 23rd 2019 | 8:31 am
Reply
Chandhru
very nice
Posted on January 16th 2019 | 4:23 pm
Inductors in Series
Inductors can be connected together in a series connection when the are daisy chained
together sharing a common electrical current
These interconnections of inductors produce more complex networks whose overall

inductance is a combination of the individual inductors. However, there are certain
rules for connecting inductors in series or parallel and these are based on the fact
that no mutual inductance or magnetic coupling exists between the individual
inductors.
Inductors are said to be connected in “Series” when they are daisy chained together
in a straight line, end to end. In the Resistors in Series tutorial we saw that the
different values of the resistances connected together in series just “add” together
and this is also true of inductance. Inductors in series are simply “added together”
because the number of coil turns is effectively increased, with the total circuit
inductance LT being equal to the sum of all the individual inductances added together.
Inductor in Series Circuit

The current, ( I ) that flows through the first inductor, L1 has no other way to go but
pass through the second inductor and the third and so on. Then, series inductors
have a Common Current flowing through them, for example:
IL1 = IL2 = IL3 = IAB …etc.
In the example above, the inductors L1, L2 and L3 are all connected together in series
between points A and B. The sum of the individual voltage drops across each
inductor can be found using Kirchoff’s Voltage Law (KVL) where, VT = V1 + V2 +
V3 and we know from the previous tutorials on inductance that the self-induced emf
across an inductor is given as: V = L di/dt.
So by taking the values of the individual voltage drops across each inductor in our
example above, the total inductance for the series combination is given as:
By dividing through the above equation by di/dt we can reduce it to give a final
expression for calculating the total inductance of a circuit when connecting inductors
together in series and this is given as:
Inductors in Series Equation

Ltotal = L1 + L2 + L3 + ….. + Ln etc.
Then the total inductance of the series chain can be found by simply adding together
the individual inductances of the inductors in series just like adding together resistors
in series. However, the above equation only holds true when there is “NO” mutual
inductance or magnetic coupling between two or more of the inductors, (they are
magnetically isolated from each other).
One important point to remember about inductors in series circuits, the total
inductance ( LT ) of any two or more inductors connected together in series will
always be GREATER than the value of the largest inductor in the series chain.
Inductors in Series Example No1

Three inductors of 10mH, 40mH and 50mH are connected together in a series
combination with no mutual inductance between them. Calculate the total inductance
of the series combination.
Mutually Connected Inductors in Series
When inductors are connected together in series so that the magnetic field of one
links with the other, the effect of mutual inductance either increases or decreases the
total inductance depending upon the amount of magnetic coupling. The effect of this
mutual inductance depends upon the distance apart of the coils and their orientation
to each other.
Mutually connected series inductors can be classed as either “Aiding” or “Opposing”
the total inductance. If the magnetic flux produced by the current flows through the
coils in the same direction then the coils are said to be Cumulatively Coupled. If the
current flows through the coils in opposite directions then the coils are said to
be Differentially Coupled as shown below.
Cumulatively Coupled Series Inductors
While the current flowing between points A and D through the two cumulatively
coupled coils is in the same direction, the equation above for the voltage drops
across each of the coils needs to be modified to take into account the interaction
between the two coils due to the effect of mutual inductance. The self inductance of
each individual coil, L1 and L2 respectively will be the same as before but with the
addition of M denoting the mutual inductance.
Then the total emf induced into the cumulatively coupled coils is given as:
Where: 2M represents the influence of coil L1 on L2 and likewise coil L2 on L1.

By dividing through the above equation by di/dt we can reduce it to give a final
expression for calculating the total inductance of a circuit when the inductors are
cumulatively connected and this is given as:
Ltotal = L 1 + L 2 + 2M
If one of the coils is reversed so that the same current flows through each coil but in
opposite directions, the mutual inductance, M that exists between the two coils will
have a cancelling effect on each coil as shown below.
Differentially Coupled Series Inductors
The emf that is induced into coil 1 by the effect of the mutual inductance of coil two is
in opposition to the self-induced emf in coil one as now the same current passes
through each coil in opposite directions. To take account of this cancelling effect a
minus sign is used with M when the magnetic field of the two coils are differentially
connected giving us the final equation for calculating the total inductance of a circuit
when the inductors are differentially connected as:
Ltotal = L 1 + L 2 – 2M
Then the final equation for inductively coupled inductors in series is given as:

Two inductors of 10mH respectively are connected together in a series combination
so that their magnetic fields aid each other giving cumulative coupling. Their mutual
inductance is given as 5mH. Calculate the total inductance of the series combination.

Two coils connected in series have a self-inductance of 20mH and 60mH
respectively. The total inductance of the combination was found to be 100mH.
Determine the amount of mutual inductance that exists between the two coils
assuming that they are aiding each other.
Inductors in Series Summary
We now know that we can connect together inductors in series to produce a total
inductance value, LT equal to the sum of the individual values, they add together,
similar to connecting together resistors in series. However, when connecting together
inductors in series they can be influenced by mutual inductance.
Mutually connected series inductors are classed as either “aiding” or “opposing” the
total inductance depending whether the coils are cumulatively coupled (in the same
direction) or differentially coupled (in opposite direction).
In the next tutorial about Inductors, we will see that the position of the coils when
connecting together Inductors in Parallel also affects the total inductance, LT of the
circuit.
Previous
Mutual Inductance
Next
Inductors in Parallel
 1. The Inductor
36 Comments
Submit
Ranganatha M S
Good explanation.
Posted on September 13th 2019 | 3:06 pm
Reply

Farzana
I want to join here and want to learn more and more
Posted on September 01st 2019 | 2:00 am
Reply
Anoop
Inductor problem.
Posted on March 08th 2019 | 8:33 am
Reply
Mahendra
two 2h inductance coils are connected in series and are also magnetically coupled to each
other, if co-efficient of coupling is 0.1 then total inductance is?
Posted on January 12th 2019 | 9:40 am
Reply
Pranab Das
Sir plzz answer this question….
Q/.The combined inductance of two coils connected in series is 1.2 H or 0.2H ,depending on the
relative directions of the currents in the coils .if one the coils,when isolated has a self inductance
of 0.4 H, calculate
a/.The mutual inductance and
b/.The coupling coefficient
Posted on December 18th 2018 | 8:04 am
Reply
subhadip dey
very helpful . for a learnr.
Posted on October 31st 2018 | 7:50 am
Reply
moin
what is faraday’s law
Posted on October 01st 2018 | 10:29 am
Reply
Jaydipsinh Parmar
Inductor current path.
Reply

Aubs
Very helpful! Helped me figure out some things for my electronics class! Thanks!
Reply
M Hassan
I really appreciate your efforts I’m excited
Inductors are said to be connected together in Parallel when both of their terminals are
respectively connected to each terminal of another inductor or inductors
The voltage drop across all of the inductors in parallel will be the same.
Then, Inductors in Parallel have a Common Voltage across them and in our
example below the voltage across the inductors is given as:
VL1 = VL2 = VL3 = VAB …etc
In the following circuit the inductors L1, L2 and L3 are all connected together in parallel
between the two points A and B.
Inductors in Parallel Circuit

In the previous series inductors tutorial, we saw that the total inductance, LT of the
circuit was equal to the sum of all the individual inductors added together. For
inductors in parallel the equivalent circuit inductance LT is calculated differently.
The sum of the individual currents flowing through each inductor can be found using
Kirchoff’s Current Law (KCL) where, IT = I1 + I2 + I3 and we know from the previous
tutorials on inductance that the self-induced emf across an inductor is given
as: V = L di/dt
Then by taking the values of the individual currents flowing through each inductor in
our circuit above, and substituting the current i for i1 + i2 + i3 the voltage across the
parallel combination is given as:
By substituting di/dt in the above equation with v/L gives:
We can reduce it to give a final expression for calculating the total inductance of a
circuit when connecting inductors in parallel and this is given as:
Parallel Inductor Equation
Here, like the calculations for parallel resistors, the reciprocal ( 1/Ln ) value of the
individual inductances are all added together instead of the inductances themselves.
But again as with series connected inductances, the above equation only holds true
when there is “NO” mutual inductance or magnetic coupling between two or more of
the inductors, (they are magnetically isolated from each other). Where there is
coupling between coils, the total inductance is also affected by the amount of
coupling.
This method of calculation can be used for calculating any number of individual
inductances connected together within a single parallel network. If however, there are
only two individual inductors in parallel then a much simpler and quicker formula can
be used to find the total inductance value, and this is:
One important point to remember about inductors in parallel circuits, the total
inductance ( LT ) of any two or more inductors connected together in parallel will
always be LESS than the value of the smallest inductance in the parallel chain.
Inductors in Parallel Example No1

Three inductors of 60mH, 120mH and 75mH respectively, are connected together in
a parallel combination with no mutual inductance between them. Calculate the total
inductance of the parallel combination in millihenries.
Mutually Coupled Inductors in Parallel

When inductors are connected together in parallel so that the magnetic field of one
links with the other, the effect of mutual inductance either increases or decreases the
total inductance depending upon the amount of magnetic coupling that exists
between the coils. The effect of this mutual inductance depends upon the distance
apart of the coils and their orientation to each other.
Mutually connected inductors in parallel can be classed as either “aiding” or
“opposing” the total inductance with parallel aiding connected coils increasing the
total equivalent inductance and parallel opposing coils decreasing the total equivalent
inductance compared to coils that have zero mutual inductance.
Mutual coupled parallel coils can be shown as either connected in an aiding or
opposing configuration by the use of polarity dots or polarity markers as shown
below.
Parallel Aiding Inductors

The voltage across the two parallel aiding inductors above must be equal since they
are in parallel so the two currents, i1 and i2 must vary so that the voltage across them
stays the same. Then the total inductance, LT for two parallel aiding inductors is given
as:
Where: 2M represents the influence of coil L 1 on L 2 and likewise coil L 2 on L 1.

If the two inductances are equal and the magnetic coupling is perfect such as in a
toroidal circuit, then the equivalent inductance of the two inductors in parallel
is L as LT = L1 = L2 = M. However, if the mutual inductance between them is zero, the
equivalent inductance would be L ÷ 2 the same as for two self-induced inductors in
parallel.
If one of the two coils was reversed with respect to the other, we would then have two
parallel opposing inductors and the mutual inductance, M that exists between the two
coils will have a cancelling effect on each coil instead of an aiding effect as shown
below.
Parallel Opposing Inductors
Then the total inductance, LT for two parallel opposing inductors is given as:
This time, if the two inductances are equal in value and the magnetic coupling is
perfect between them, the equivalent inductance and also the self-induced emf
across the inductors will be zero as the two inductors cancel each other out.
This is because as the two currents, i1 and i2 flow through each inductor in turn the
total mutual flux generated between them is zero because the two flux’s produced by
each inductor are both equal in magnitude but in opposite directions.
Then the two coils effectively become a short circuit to the flow of current in the circuit
so the equivalent inductance, LT becomes equal to ( L ± M ) ÷ 2.

Two inductors whose self-inductances are of 75mH and 55mH respectively are
connected together in parallel aiding. Their mutual inductance is given as 22.5mH.
Calculate the total inductance of the parallel combination.

Calculate the equivalent inductance of the following inductive circuit.
Calculate the first inductor branch LA, (Inductor L5 in parallel with inductors L6 and L7)
Calculate the second inductor branch LB, (Inductor L3 in parallel with
inductors L4 and LA)
Calculate the equivalent circuit inductance LEQ, (Inductor L1 in parallel with

inductors L2 and LB)
Then the equivalent inductance for the above circuit was found to be: 15mH.
Inductors in Parallel Summary

As with the resistor, inductors connected together in parallel have the same
voltage, V across them. Also connecting together inductors in parallel decreases the
effective inductance of the circuit with the equivalent inductance of “N” inductors
connected in parallel being the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the
individual inductances.
As with series connected inductors, mutually connected inductors in parallel are
classed as either “aiding” or “opposing” this total inductance depending whether the
coils are cumulatively coupled (in the same direction) or differentially coupled (in
opposite direction).
Thus far we have examined the inductor as a pure or ideal passive component. In the
next tutorial about Inductors, we will look at non-ideal inductors that have real world
resistive coils producing the equivalent circuit of an inductor in series with a
resistance and examine the time constant of such a circuit.
Previous
Inductors in Series
Next
LR Series Circuit
 1. The Inductor
48 Comments
Submit
manish
Please tell how to solve equivalent inductance for 3 mutually coupled inductors in parallel

Reply
Akshay Dambare
Bro u got the answer for equivalent inductance when 3 mutually induced are connected
in parallel??
Then plz fwd it to me on the following email
Reply
janardon saikia
thank you
Posted on July 17th 2019 | 4:08 pm
Reply
Hemanth picchukala
what u explained is very nice
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
Shannu
Good explanation!!!!
Posted on April 16th 2019 | 7:51 am
Reply
Jeslin augustin
Very good
Reply
Satyam Umarvaishya
its helpful thanks
Posted on December 28th 2018 | 4:45 pm
Reply
Sibasish Ghosh
Good
Posted on October 26th 2018 | 4:46 pm
Reply
Arjan
Nice , well written pages.
I’m trying to figure out the equations and formulas of the impedance matching autoformer. The
circuit looks like example no. 3 with only the source, L6 and L7.L6 and L7 are mutually coupled.
Posted on September 18th 2018 | 10:28 am
Reply
Riharika Pathipati
I want to know the derivation of inductor connected in parallel having mutual inductance along
with self inductance?
Reply
Balu
Nice explanation

LR Series Circuit
All coils, inductors, chokes and transformers create a magnetic field around themselves consist
of an Inductance in series with a Resistance forming an LR Series Circuit
The first tutorial in this section about Inductors, we looked briefly at the time constant
of an inductor stating that the current flowing through an inductor could not change
instantaneously, but would increase at a constant rate determined by the self-
induced emf in the inductor.
In other words, an inductor in an electrical circuit opposes the flow of current, ( i )
through it. While this is perfectly correct, we made the assumption in the tutorial that
it was an ideal inductor which had no resistance or capacitance associated with its
coil windings.
However, in the real world “ALL” coils whether they are chokes, solenoids, relays or
any wound component will always have a certain amount of resistance no matter how
small. This is because the actual coils turns of wire being used to make it uses
copper wire which has a resistive value.
Then for real world purposes we can consider our simple coil as being an
“Inductance”, L in series with a “Resistance”, R. In other words forming an LR Series
Circuit.
A LR Series Circuit consists basically of an inductor of inductance, L connected in
series with a resistor of resistance, R. The resistance “R” is the DC resistive value of
the wire turns or loops that goes into making up the inductors coil. Consider the LR
series circuit below.
The LR Series Circuit
The above LR series circuit is connected across a constant voltage source, (the
battery) and a switch. Assume that the switch, S is open until it is closed at a time
t = 0, and then remains permanently closed producing a “step response” type voltage
input. The current, i begins to flow through the circuit but does not rise rapidly to its
maximum value of Imax as determined by the ratio of V / R (Ohms Law).
This limiting factor is due to the presence of the self induced emf within the inductor
as a result of the growth of magnetic flux, (Lenz’s Law). After a time the voltage
source neutralizes the effect of the self induced emf, the current flow becomes
constant and the induced current and field are reduced to zero.
We can use Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law, (KVL) to define the individual voltage drops that
exist around the circuit and then hopefully use it to give us an expression for the flow
of current.
Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL) gives us:
The voltage drop across the resistor, R is I*R (Ohms Law).
The voltage drop across the inductor, L is by now our familiar expression L(di/dt)
Then the final expression for the individual voltage drops around the LR series circuit
can be given as:
We can see that the voltage drop across the resistor depends upon the current, i,
while the voltage drop across the inductor depends upon the rate of change of the
current, di/dt. When the current is equal to zero, ( i = 0 ) at time t = 0 the above
expression, which is also a first order differential equation, can be rewritten to give
the value of the current at any instant of time as:
Expression for the Current in an LR Series Circuit
 Where:
 V is in Volts
 R is in Ohms
 L is in Henries
 t is in Seconds
 e is the base of the Natural Logarithm = 2.71828
The Time Constant, ( τ ) of the LR series circuit is given as L/R and in which V/R
represents the final steady state current value after five time constant values. Once
the current reaches this maximum steady state value at 5τ, the inductance of the coil
has reduced to zero acting more like a short circuit and effectively removing it from
the circuit.
Therefore the current flowing through the coil is limited only by the resistive element
in Ohms of the coils windings. A graphical representation of the current growth
representing the voltage/time characteristics of the circuit can be presented as.
Transient Curves for an LR Series Circuit
Since the voltage drop across the resistor, VR is equal to I*R (Ohms Law), it will have
the same exponential growth and shape as the current. However, the voltage drop
across the inductor, VL will have a value equal to: Ve(-Rt/L). Then the voltage across the
inductor, VL will have an initial value equal to the battery voltage at time t = 0 or when
the switch is first closed and then decays exponentially to zero as represented in the
above curves.
The time required for the current flowing in the LR series circuit to reach its maximum
steady state value is equivalent to about 5 time constants or 5τ. This time
constant τ, is measured by τ = L/R, in seconds, where R is the value of the resistor in
ohms and L is the value of the inductor in Henries. This then forms the basis of an RL
charging circuit were 5τ can also be thought of as “5*(L/R)” or the transient time of
the circuit.
The transient time of any inductive circuit is determined by the relationship between
the inductance and the resistance. For example, for a fixed value resistance the
larger the inductance the slower will be the transient time and therefore a longer time
constant for the LR series circuit. Likewise, for a fixed value inductance the smaller
the resistance value the longer the transient time.
However, for a fixed value inductance, by increasing the resistance value the
transient time and therefore the time constant of the circuit becomes shorter. This is
because as the resistance increases the circuit becomes more and more resistive as
the value of the inductance becomes negligible compared to the resistance. If the
value of the resistance is increased sufficiently large compared to the inductance the
transient time would effectively be reduced to almost zero.
LR Series Circuit Example No1

A coil which has an inductance of 40mH and a resistance of 2Ω is connected
together to form a LR series circuit. If they are connected to a 20V DC supply.
a). What will be the final steady state value of the current.
b) What will be the time constant of the RL series circuit.
c) What will be the transient time of the RL series circuit.
d) What will be the value of the induced emf after 10ms.
e) What will be the value of the circuit current one time constant after the switch is
closed.
The Time Constant, τ of the circuit was calculated in question b) as being 20ms.
Then the circuit current at this time is given as:
You may have noticed that the answer for question (e) which gives a value of 6.32
Amps at one time constant, is equal to 63.2% of the final steady state current value of
10 Amps we calculated in question (a). This value of 63.2% or 0.632 x IMAX also
corresponds with the transient curves shown above.
Power in an LR Series Circuit

Then from above, the instantaneous rate at which the voltage source delivers power
to the circuit is given as:
The instantaneous rate at which power is dissipated by the resistor in the form of
heat is given as:
The rate at which energy is stored in the inductor in the form of magnetic potential
energy is given as:
Then we can find the total power in a RL series circuit by multiplying by i and is
therefore:
Where the first I2R term represents the power dissipated by the resistor in heat, and
the second term represents the power absorbed by the inductor, its magnetic energy.
Previous
Next
Inductive Reactance
 1. The Inductor
80 Comments
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Mohit verma
Thanks
Reply

Olaniran olarotimi ola the great

The write up has been a useful one
Reply
Hardial
Explained in very easy to understand manner. I will like to explore other areas which I find
difficult to understand e.g. Lapland transformation, etc.
Reply
Sruthika
It’s very interesting
Reply

Mo Hashim khan
This is LR circuit and need to solution
Reply
Hanzla Jafrani
when we put the value of 1 tau to +infinity tau and the values are from 36% to 99.999999% why
it doesn’t becomes 100%? where this 0.01 to 0.0000001 % current dissipate please explain me
ASAP
Thank You
Posted on April 02nd 2019 | 7:18 pm
Reply
Wayne Storr
There is no current to dissipate, its an exponential function based around the
mathematical constant, e whose value is approximately 2.718 as given in the tutorial.
Thus the calculated maths goes on to infinity.
Posted on April 03rd 2019 | 6:14 am
Reply
Alok
I have satisfied this topic but some problems have confused.
Reply
Vikash yadav
Easy words use
Reply
mohammedshahbaaz
How to calculate parameters of circuit when Resistor is in series with Inductors and are in
parallel with capacitor? i.e. RL series in parallel to capacitor.
Reply
Touqeer
How to find the resistance in RL circuit if we have gie XL , applied voltage and current ?????
The resistance and xL are in series

Reply
Wayne Storr
Z = V/I, please read the tutorial about AC Inductance
Inductive Reactance
Inductive Reactance of a coil depends on the frequency of the applied voltage as reactance is
directly proportional to frequency
So far we have looked at the behaviour of inductors connected to DC supplies and

hopefully by now we know that when a DC voltage is applied across an inductor, the
growth of the current through it is not instant but is determined by the inductors self-
induced or back emf value.
Also we saw that the inductors current continues to rise until it reaches its maximum
steady state condition after five time constants. The maximum current flowing
through an inductive coil is limited only by the resistive part of the coils windings in
Ohms, and as we know from Ohms law, this is determined by the ratio of voltage
over current, V/R.
When an alternating or AC voltage is applied across an inductor the flow of current
through it behaves very differently to that of an applied DC voltage. The effect of a
sinusoidal supply produces a phase difference between the voltage and the current
waveforms. Now in an AC circuit, the opposition to current flow through the coils
windings not only depends upon the inductance of the coil but also the frequency of
the AC waveform.
The opposition to current flowing through a coil in an AC circuit is determined by the
AC resistance, more commonly known as Impedance (Z), of the circuit. But
resistance is always associated with DC circuits so to distinguish DC resistance from
AC resistance the term Reactance is generally used.
Just like resistance, the value of reactance is also measured in Ohm’s but is given
the symbol X, (uppercase letter “X”), to distinguish it from a purely resistive value.
As the component we are interested in is an inductor, the reactance of an inductor is
therefore called “Inductive Reactance”. In other words, an inductors electrical
resistance when used in an AC circuit is called Inductive Reactance.
Inductive Reactance which is given the symbol XL, is the property in an AC circuit
which opposes the change in the current. In our tutorials about Capacitors in AC
Circuits, we saw that in a purely capacitive circuit, the current IC “LEADS” the voltage
by 90o. In a purely inductive AC circuit the exact opposite is true, the
current IL “LAGS” the applied voltage by 90o, or (π/2 rads).
AC Inductor Circuit
In the purely inductive circuit above, the inductor is connected directly across the AC
supply voltage. As the supply voltage increases and decreases with the frequency,
the self-induced back emf also increases and decreases in the coil with respect to
this change.
We know that this self-induced emf is directly proportional to the rate of change of the
current through the coil and is at its greatest as the supply voltage crosses over from
its positive half cycle to its negative half cycle or vice versa at points, 0o and
180o along the sine wave.
Consequently, the minimum rate of change of the voltage occurs when the AC sine
wave crosses over at its maximum or minimum peak voltage level. At these positions
in the cycle the maximum or minimum currents are flowing through the inductor
circuit and this is shown below.
AC Inductor Phasor Diagram

These voltage and current waveforms show that for a purely inductive circuit the
current lags the voltage by 90o. Likewise, we can also say that the voltage leads the
current by 90o. Either way the general expression is that the current lags as shown in
the vector diagram. Here the current vector and the voltage vector are shown
displaced by 90o. The current lags the voltage.
We can also write this statement as, VL = 0o and IL = -90o with respect to the
voltage, VL. If the voltage waveform is classed as a sine wave then the current, IL can
be classed as a negative cosine and we can define the value of the current at any
point in time as being:
Where: ω is in radians per second and t is in seconds.

Since the current always lags the voltage by 90o in a purely inductive circuit, we can
find the phase of the current by knowing the phase of the voltage or vice versa. So if
we know the value of VL, then IL must lag by 90o. Likewise, if we know the value
of IL then VL must therefore lead by 90o. Then this ratio of voltage to current in an
inductive circuit will produce an equation that defines the Inductive Reactance, XL of
the coil.
Inductive Reactance
We can rewrite the above equation for inductive reactance into a more familiar form
that uses the ordinary frequency of the supply instead of the angular frequency in
radians, ω and this is given as:
Where: ƒ is the Frequency and L is the Inductance of the Coil and 2πƒ = ω.
From the above equation for inductive reactance, it can be seen that if either of
the Frequency or Inductance was increased the overall inductive reactance value
would also increase. As the frequency approaches infinity the inductors reactance
would also increase to infinity acting like an open circuit.
However, as the frequency approaches zero or DC, the inductors reactance would
decrease to zero, acting like a short circuit. This means then that inductive reactance
is “proportional” to frequency.
In other words, inductive reactance increases with frequency resulting in XL being
small at low frequencies and XL being high at high frequencies and this demonstrated
in the following graph:
Inductive Reactance against Frequency

The slope shows that the “Inductive Reactance”
of an inductor increases as the supply frequency
across it increases.
Therefore Inductive Reactance is proportional
to frequency giving: ( XL α ƒ )
Then we can see that at DC an inductor has zero reactance (short-circuit), at high
frequencies an inductor has infinite reactance (open-circuit).
Inductive Reactance Example No1

A coil of inductance 150mH and zero resistance is connected across a 100V, 50Hz
supply. Calculate the inductive reactance of the coil and the current flowing through
it.
AC Supply through an LR Series Circuit

So far we have considered a purely inductive coil, but it is impossible to have a pure
inductance as all coils, relays or solenoids will have a certain amount of resistance no
matter how small associated with the coils turns of wire being used. Then we can
consider our simple coil as being a resistance in series with an inductance.
In an AC circuit that contains both inductance, L and resistance, R the voltage, V will
be the phasor sum of the two component voltages, VR and VL. This means then that
the current flowing through the coil will still lag the voltage, but by an amount less
than 90o depending upon the values of VR and VL.
The new phase angle between the voltage and the current is known as the phase
angle of the circuit and is given the Greek symbol phi, Φ.
To be able to produce a vector diagram of the relationship between the voltage and
the current, a reference or common component must be found. In a series connected
R-L circuit the current is common as the same current flows through each
component. The vector of this reference quantity is generally drawn horizontally from
left to right.
From our tutorials about resistors and capacitors we know that the current and
voltage in a resistive AC circuit are both “in-phase” and therefore vector, VR is drawn
superimposed to scale on the current or reference line.
We also know from above, that the current “lags” the voltage in a purely inductive
circuit and therefore vector, VL is drawn 90o in front of the current reference and to the
same scale as VR and this is shown below.
LR Series AC Circuit
In the vector diagram above it can be seen that line OB represents the current
reference line, line OA is the voltage of the resistive component and which is in-
phase with the current. Line OC shows the inductive voltage which is 90o in front of
the current, therefore it can be seen that the current lags the voltage by 90 o.
Line OD gives us the resultant or supply voltage across the circuit. The voltage
triangle is derived from Pythagoras theorem and is given as:
In a DC circuit, the ratio of voltage to current is called resistance. However, in an AC
circuit this ratio is known as Impedance, Z with units again in Ohms. Impedance is
the total resistance to current flow in an “AC circuit” containing both resistance and
inductive reactance.
If we divide the sides of the voltage triangle above by the current, another triangle is
obtained whose sides represent the resistance, reactance and impedance of the coil.
This new triangle is called an “Impedance Triangle”
The Impedance Triangle
Inductive Reactance Example No2

A solenoid coil has a resistance of 30 Ohms and an inductance of 0.5H. If the current
flowing through the coil is 4 amps. Calculate,
a) The voltage of the supply if the frequency is 50Hz.
b) The phase angle between the voltage and the current.
Power Triangle of an AC Inductor

There is one other type of triangle configuration that we can use for an inductive
circuit and that is of the “Power Triangle”. The power in an inductive circuit is known
as Reactive Power or volt-amps reactive, symbol Var which is measured in volt-
amps. In a RL series AC circuit, the current lags the supply voltage by an angle of Φo.
In a purely inductive AC circuit the current will be out-of-phase by a full 90o to the
supply voltage. As such, the total reactive power consumed by the coil will be equal
to zero as any consumed power is cancelled out by the generated self-induced emf
power. In other words, the net power in watts consumed by a pure inductor at the end
of one complete cycle is zero, as energy is both taken from the supply and returned
to it.
The Reactive Power, ( Q ) of a coil can be given as: I2 x XL (similar to I2R in a DC
circuit). Then the three sides of a power triangle in an AC circuit are represented by
apparent power, ( S ), real power, ( P ) and the reactive power, ( Q ) as shown.
Power Triangle
Note that an actual inductor or coil will consume power in watts due to the resistance
of the windings creating an impedance, Z.
Previous
LR Series Circuit
 1. The Inductor
86 Comments

Submit
sher muhammad
sir very well
i want to determine inductance of the inductor .so i want to require real list of permeability of the
materials
Posted on August 22nd 2019 | 11:02 am
Reply
A
I want to answer for one question. The inductor resist the change of current, it is called inductive
reactance. why it is not called inductive resistance?
Posted on May 29th 2019 | 8:36 am
Reply
Wayne Storr
Resistance is a DC quantity, Reactance is an AC frequency related quantity
Reply
A
sir/mam, you have any brief notes or problems in buck converter? Please send
link.
Reply
Aseel Talib
Please briefly explain an engineering application for this circuit.
Reply
Nkrumah Prince
l proud to be an engineer and teach others to be perfect.
Posted on April 23rd 2019 | 9:52 pm
Reply

Mohamed Elsayed
very good
Reply
Aaron Bourne
Very, Very, Very useful!!!!
Reply
Thato selepe
A 20mH inductor with a resistance of 200 ohms is supplied with a step voltage of 50 volts.
Determine:
ii) Time taken for resistive voltage component to equal the inductive voltage component
Reply

Aryan
Sir can you draw a graph between Xl and log f where f is frequency?
Reply
Nguemadedee
Pls sir or madam normally the inductive reactance Vs frequency graph is linear…why is my
graph not linear?(its not a mistake…the graph is really not linear and we are asked to explain
why)thanks
Reply
o More
N
Well presented. Thanks. I did a breakdown of a cheap angle grinder with a universal motor.
Using the formulas and calculations presented above as a refresher I did some calculations in
the video. Calculations estimated current at 1.63A and measurements went down to 1.67A so
spot on.
The relevant part of the video is minute 7:30 to 11. Link below. I hope this adds some credence
to the usefulness in the real world.

The Inductor

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The Inductor

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The Inductor

An Inductor is a passive electrical component consisting of a coil of wire which is designed to

Prefix Symbol Multiplier Power of Ten

milli m 1/1,000 10-3

micro µ 1/1,000,000 10-6

nano n 1/1,000,000,000 10-9

So to display the sub-units of the Henry we would use as an example:

Back emf Generated by an Inductor

Where: L is the self-inductance and di/dt the rate of current change.

The Time Constant of an Inductor

Current and Voltage in an Inductor

Inductor Example No1

Power in a circuit is given as, P = V*I therefore:

An ideal inductor has no resistance only inductance so R = 0 Ω and therefore no

Energy stored by an Inductor

Where: W is in joules, L is in Henries and i is in Amperes

Read more Tutorials inInductors

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Inductors do this by generating a self-induced emf within itself as a result of their

Self Inductance of a Coil

Inductance Example No1

Inductance Example No2

The self-inductance of a coil or to be more precise, the coefficient of self-inductance

Read more Tutorials inInductors

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Mutual Inductance between Coils

Mutual Inductance Between Coils

Coupling Factor Between Coils

Mutual Inductance Example No1

In the next tutorial about Inductors, we look at connecting together Inductors in

Read more Tutorials inInductors

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