What is AC power? what is the purpose? What is the main application?

What is AC power?

Alternating current (AC) power supplies power to loads with programmable voltage, phase, and frequency for testing purposes. Measuring current is essential in electrical system applications.

Devices designed to use alternating current typically require higher voltages than direct current to ensure consistency.

The two AC power types are:

Regulated AC: No alternate design option, but provides constant power to the load.

Unregulated AC: Alternating designs are allowed, but there is no constant load supply.

AC power can be used to vary voltage and frequency.

AC power sources are common in industry and science and are often used as laboratory instruments for compliance testing. They are single-phase or three-phase units with different input and output power. Most comply with industry standards such as DO-160, MIL-STD-704 and IEC 61000-4-11.

Typically, an AC power source receives voltage from a wall outlet (mains power), uses a transformer to adjust the voltage (both up or down) to obtain the desired voltage, and allows some degree of filtering to occur.

Note: In some cases, an AC power source is used as an isolation transformer, where the source voltage and the output voltage come from the same source.

AC power types and uses

Autotransformer: Provides main isolation.

Variable Transformer: Variable output autotransformer.

AC power supplies are designed to provide nearly constant current flow.

Power conversion: no transformer is used

Portable AC power, which can be provided by passing its current to a regulator circuit to provide a constant voltage at the output.

Line regulator: When the output voltage is the same as the input voltage.

Uninterruptible power supply: In the case of equipment designed to provide backup power.

It is worth noting that the circuit can be designed in a voltage doubler topology to directly boost the AC supply; previously, such an application was a vacuum tube AC/DC receiver.

In modern use, AC power can be divided into single-phase and three-phase, the main difference between single-phase and three-phase AC power is the constancy of delivery.

AC power application example

It is worth noting that the output voltage may vary depending on the impedance of the load

A car battery; the power source provides direct current.

An inverter and step-up transformer; converts power to AC power.

On construction sites, in cars or boats, backup power for emergency services; inverters and step-up transformers can be used.