Parallel RL Circuit

This guide covers Parallel RL Circuit Analysis, Phasor Diagram, Impedance & Power
Triangle, and several solved examples along with the review questions answers.

The combination of a resistor and inductor connected in parallel to an AC source, as

illustrated in Figure 1, is called a parallel RL circuit. In a parallel DC circuit, the voltage
across each of the parallel branches is equal. This is also true of the AC parallel
circuit.

The voltages across each parallel branch are:

 The same value.

 Equal in value to the total applied voltage ET.
 All in phase with each other.

Figure 1 Parallel RL circuit.

Therefore, for a RL parallel circuit

n parallel DC circuits, the simple arithmetic sum of the individual branch currents equals
the total current. The same is true in an AC parallel circuit if only pure resistors or only
pure inductors are connected in parallel.

However, when a resistor and inductor are connected in parallel, the two currents will
be out of phase with each other. In this case, the total current is equal to the vector
sum rather than the arithmetic sum of the currents.

Recall that the voltage and current through a resistor are in phase, but through a pure
inductor the current lags the voltage by exactly 90 degrees. This is still the case when
the two are connected in parallel.

Parallel RL Circuit Phasor Diagram

The relationship between the voltage and currents in a parallel RL circuit is illustrated in
the vector (phasor) diagram of Figure 2 and summarized as follows:

 The reference vector is labeled E and represents the voltage in the circuit,
which is common to all elements.
 Since the current through the resistor is in phase with the voltage across it, IR (2
A) is shown superimposed on the voltage vector.
 The inductor current IL (4 A) lags the voltage by 90 degrees and is positioned in a
downward direction lagging the voltage vector by 90 degrees.
 The vector addition of IR and IL gives a resultant that represents the total (IT), or
line current (4.5 A).
 The angle theta (θ) represents the phase between the applied line voltage and
current.

Figure 2 Parallel RL circuit vector (phasor) diagram.

As is the case in all parallel circuits, the current in each branch of a parallel RL circuit
acts independent of the currents in the other branches. The current flow in each branch
is determined by the voltage across that branch and the opposition to current flow, in
the form of either resistance or inductive reactance, contained in the branch.

Ohm’s law can then be used to find the individual branch currents as follows:

The resistive branch current has the same phase as the applied voltage, but
the inductive branch current lags the applied voltage by 90 degrees. As a result,
the total line current (IT) consists of IR and IL 90 degrees out of phase with each other.
The current flow through the resistor and the inductor form the legs of a right triangle,
and the total current is the hypotenuse. Therefore, the Pythagorean theorem can be
applied to add these currents together by using the equation:

In all parallel RL circuits, the phase angle theta (θ) by which the total current lags the
voltage is somewhere between 0 and 90 degrees. The size of the angle is determined
by whether there is more inductive current or resistive current.

If there is more inductive current, the phase angle will be closer to 90 degrees. It will be
closer to 0 degrees if there is more resistive current. From the circuit vector diagram you
can see that the value of the phase angle can be calculated from the equation:

Current in Parallel RL Circuit Example 1

For the parallel RL circuit shown in Figure 3, determine:

1. Current flow through the resistor.

2. Current flow through the inductor.
3. The total line current.
4. The phase angle between the voltage and total current flow.
5. Express all currents in polar notation.
6. Use a calculator to convert all currents to rectangular notation.

Figure 3 Circuit for example 1.

Solution:

a. IR=ER=120V30 Ω =4A

b. IL=EXL=120V40 Ω =3A

c. IT=√ I2R+I2L =√ 42+32 =5A

 d.θ=tan−1(ILIR)=tan−1(34)=36.9o

e. IT=5∠-36.9oIR=4∠0oIL=3∠-90o

f. IT=4-j3IR=4+j0IL=0-j3

Parallel RL Circuit Impedance

The impedance (Z) of a parallel RL circuit is the total opposition to the flow of current. It
includes the opposition (R) offered by the resistive branch and the inductive
reactance (XL) offered by the inductive branch.

The impedance of a parallel RL circuit is calculated similarly to a parallel resistive

circuit. However, since XL and R are vector quantities, they must be added vectorially.
As a result, the equation for the impedance of a parallel RL circuit consisting of a single
resistor and inductor is:

Where the quantity in the denominator is the vector sum of the resistance and inductive
reactance. If there is more than one resistive or inductive branch, R and XL must equal
the total resistance or reactance of theses parallel branches.

When the total current (IT) and the applied voltage are known, the impedance is more
easily calculated using the Ohm’s law as follows:

The impedance of a parallel RL circuit is always less than the resistance or inductive
reactance of any one branch. This is because each branch creates a separate path for
current flow, thus reducing the overall or total circuit opposition to the current flow.

The branch that has the greater amount of current flow (or lesser amount of opposition)
has the most effect on the phase angle. This is the opposite of a series RL circuit. In a
parallel RL circuit, if XL is larger than R, the resistive branch current is greater than the
inductive branch current so the phase angle between the applied voltage and total
current is closer to 0 degrees (more resistive in nature).

Impedance in Parallel RL Circuit Example 2

For the parallel RL circuit shown in Figure 4, determine:

 1. Impedance (Z) based on the given R and XL values.
2. Current flow through the resistor and inductor.
3. The total line current.
4. Impedance (Z) based on the total current (IT) and the applied voltage values.

Figure 4 Circuit for example 2.

Solution:

Z=RXL√ R2+X2L =50×80√ 502+802 =42.4Ω

IR=ER=100V50Ω=2AIL=EXL=100V80Ω=1.25A

IT=√ I2R+I2L =√22+1.252 =2.36A

Z=EIT=100V2.36A=42.4Ω

Power in Parallel RL Circuit

In the parallel RL circuit, the VA (apparent power) includes both the watts (true power)
and the VARs (reactive power), as shown in Figure 5. The true power (W) is that power
dissipated by the resistive branch, and the reactive power (VARs) is the power that is
returned to the source by the inductive branch.

The relationship of VA, W, and VARs is the same for the RL parallel circuit as it is for
the RL series circuit. The following is a summary of these formulas:

 The true power in watts is equal to the voltage drop across the resistor times the
current flowing through it:

 The reactive power in VARs is equal to the voltage drop across the
inductor times the current flowing through it:
  The apparent power in VA is equal to the applied voltage times the total current:

Figure 5 Power components of a RL parallel circuit.

Figure 6 shows the power triangle for a RL parallel circuit. Apply the Pythagorean
theorem, and the various power components can be determined using the following
equations:

Figure 6 Power triangle for a RL parallel circuit.

Power Factor in Parallel RL Circuit

Power factor (PF) in a RL parallel circuit is the ratio of true power to the apparent
power just as it is in the series RL circuit. There are, however, some differences in
the other formulas used to calculate power factor in the series and parallel RL circuits.
In a series RL circuit, the power factor could be found by dividing the voltage drop
across the resistor by the total applied voltage. In a parallel circuit the voltage is the
same but the currents are different, and power factor can be calculated using the
formula

Another power factor formula that is different involves resistance and impedance. In the
parallel RL circuit, the impedance will be less than the resistance. Therefore, when PF
is computed using resistance and impedance, the formula used is

Parallel RL Circuit Calculations Example 3

For the parallel RL circuit shown in Figure 7, determine:

1. Current flow through the resistor.

2. True power in watts.
3. Current flow through the inductor.
4. Reactive power in VARs.
5. Inductance of the inductor.
6. Total current flow.
7. Circuit impedance.
8. Apparent power in VA.
9. Power factor.
10. The circuit phase angle θ.

Figure 7 Circuit for example 3.

Solution:

 Step 1. Make a table and record all known values.

 Step 2. Calculate the current through the resistor and enter the value in the table.

 Step 3. Calculate the true power and enter the value in the table.
 Step 4. Calculate the current through the inductor and enter the value in the
table.

 Step 5. Calculate the reactive power and enter the value in the table.

 Step 6. Calculate the inductance of the inductor and enter the value in the table.
 Step 7. Calculate the total current and enter the value in the table.

 Step 8. Calculate the impedance and enter the value in the table.
 Step 9. Calculate the apparent power and enter the value in the table.

 Step 10. Calculate the power factor and enter the value in the table.

 Step 11. Calculate the circuit phase angle θ and enter the value in the table.
Review Questions