
There will be no current flowing through your body. The secondary circuit is floating, when you touch the secondary circuit, you merely drag its potential to your body's potential or the earth's potential. Transformers are used in power converters to incorporate:

( September 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. This section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Why use transformers in power converters (There are also consumer "adapters" which merely form an electrical connection between two differently shaped AC power plugs and sockets, but these change neither voltage nor frequency.) Consumer voltage converters (also known as "travel converters") are used when traveling between countries that use ~120 V versus ~240 V AC mains power. Conversely, internal 400 Hz internal power may be converted to 50 Hz or 60 Hz for convenience power outlets available to passengers during flight.Ĭertain specialized circuits can also be considered power converters, such as the flyback transformer subsystem powering a CRT, generating high voltage at approximately 15 kHz.Ĭonsumer electronics usually include an AC adapter (a type of power supply) to convert mains-voltage AC current to low-voltage DC suitable for consumption by microchips. Aircraft often use 400 Hz power internally, so 50 Hz or 60 Hz to 400 Hz frequency conversion is needed for use in the ground power unit used to power the airplane while it is on the ground. In North America and northern South America, it is usually 120 volts, 60 hertz (Hz), but in Europe, Asia, Africa, and many other parts of the world, it is usually 230 volts, 50 Hz. The standard power voltage and frequency vary from country to country and sometimes within a country. There are also devices and methods to convert between power systems designed for single and three-phase operation. Finally, the task of all power converters is to "process and control the flow of electrical energy by supplying voltages and currents in a form that is optimally suited for user loads". One way of classifying power conversion systems is according to whether the input and output are alternating current or direct current. Power converters are classified based on the type of power conversion they do. Power conversion systems often incorporate redundancy and voltage regulation. The term can also refer to a class of electrical machinery that is used to convert one frequency of alternating current into another.

The power converter can be as simple as a transformer or it can be a far more complex system, such as a resonant converter. A power converter can convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) and vice versa change the voltage or frequency of the current or do some combination of these. A power converter is an electrical or electro-mechanical device for converting electrical energy. Learn more Ohm’s Law electrical formulas and see more conversions on our Ohm’s Law calculator.In all fields of electrical engineering, power conversion is the process of converting electric energy from one form to another.

P (W) = (24 V) 2 ÷ 12 Ω P (W) = 576 V ÷ 12 Ω P (W) = 48 wattsĮquivalent Volts and Watts Measurements Equivalent volts and watts at various current ratings Voltage Thus, in AC circuits, power P in watts is equal to the RMS voltage V times the current I in amps times the power factor.įor example, let’s convert 24 volts to watts for a DC circuit with 12 ohms of resistance.

To account for power factor when converting volts to watts, you can use the following formula: The ratio of real power to apparent power is called the power factor. The real power component is the power that does the work, whereas reactive power is usually undesirable because it generates excess load on the transmission components. Together, these components are called apparent power and are measured in volt-amps (VA). This is because AC circuit power is comprised of a real power component, measured in watts (W), and a reactive power component, measured in volt-amps reactive (VAR). So, 12 volts will consume 24 watts of power.Ĭonverting voltage to wattage in AC electrical circuits uses the same formula with some slight modifications. For example, let’s convert 12 volts to watts for a DC circuit with 2 amps of current.
