Parallel DC Circuits Applications

One of the most important advantages of the parallel configuration is that In a home, the parallel connection is used throughout to ensure that if one circuit has a problem and opens the circuit breaker, the remaining circuits still have the full $120 V$. The same is true in automobiles, computer systems, industrial plants, and wherever it would be disastrous for one circuit to control the total power distribution. Another important advantage is that In other words, unlike the series connection, where an additional component reduces the current level and perhaps affects the response of some of the existing components, an additional parallel branch will not affect the current level in the other branches. Of course, the current demand from the supply increases as determined by Kirchhoff's current law, so you must be aware of the limitations of the supply. The following are some of the most common applications of the parallel configuration.

Car System

As you begin to examine the electrical system of an automobile, the most important thing to understand is that the entire electrical system of a car is run as a dc system. Although the generator produces a varying ac signal, rectification converts it to one having an average dc level for charging the battery. In particular, note the use of a filter capacitor in the alternator branch in Fig. 1 to smooth out the rectified ac waveform and to provide an improved dc supply. The charged battery must therefore provide the required direct current for the entire electrical system of the car. Thus, the power demand on the battery at any instant is the product of the terminal voltage and the current drain of the total load of every operating system of the car. This certainly places an enormous burden on the battery and its internal chemical reaction and warrants all the battery care we can provide. Since the electrical system of a car is essentially a parallel system, the total current drain on the battery is the sum of the currents to all the parallel branches of the car connected directly to the battery. In Fig. 1, a few branches of the wiring diagram for a car have been sketched to provide some background information on basic wiring, current levels, and fuse configurations. Every automobile has fuse links and fuses, and some also have circuit breakers, to protect the various components of the car and to ensure that a dangerous fire situation does not develop. Except for a few branches that may have series elements, the operating voltage for most components of a car is the terminal voltage of the battery, which we will designate as $12 V$ even though it will typically vary between $12 V$ and the charging level of $14.6 V$. In other words, each component is connected to the battery at one end and to the ground or chassis of the car at the other end.

House Wiring

To examine the actual connection of elements in home, First, it is important to realize that except for some very special circumstances, the basic wiring is done in a parallel configuration. Each parallel branch, however, can have a combination of parallel and series elements. Every full branch of the circuit receives the full $120 V$ or $240 V$, with the current determined by the applied load. Fig. 2 provides the detailed wiring of a single circuit having a light bulb and two outlets. Fig. 2 shows the schematic representation.
Note that although each load is in parallel with the supply, switches are always connected in series with the load. The power is transmitted to the lamp only when the switch is closed and the full $120 V$ appears across the bulb. The connection point for the two outlets is in the ceiling box holding the light bulb. Since a switch is not present, both outlets are always "hot" unless the circuit breaker in the main panel is opened. This is important to understand in case you are tempted to change the light fixture by simply turning off the wall switch. True, if you're very careful, you can work with one line at a time (being sure that you don't touch the other line at any time), but it is much safer to throw the circuit breaker on the panel whenever working on a circuit. Note in Fig. 2 that the feed wire (black) into the fixture from the panel is connected to the switch and both outlets at one point. It is not connected directly to the light fixture because the lamp would be on all the time. Power to the light fixture is made available through the switch. The continuous connection to the outlets from the panel ensures that the outlets are "hot" whenever the circuit breaker in the panel is on. Note also how the return wire (white) is connected directly to the light switch and outlets to provide a return for each component. There is no need for the white wire to go through the switch since an applied voltage is a two-point connection and the black wire is controlled by the switch. Proper grounding of the system in total and of the individual loads is one of the most important facets in the installation of any system. There is a tendency at times to be satisfied that the system is working and to pay less attention to proper grounding technique. Always keep in mind that a properly grounded system has a direct path to ground if an undesirable situation should develop. The absence of a direct ground causes the system to determine its own path to ground, and you could be that path if you happened to touch the wrong wire, metal box, metal pipe, and so on.