Dictionary of Electrical Engineering

Commonly used terms in the Electrical industry.

inrush current
the transient current drawn by an electrical apparatus when it is suddenly connected to a power source. The inrush current may be larger in magnitude than the steady-state full-load current. The transient response is short in time and the electrical equipment generally supports the inrush current, provided it does not happen frequently. For a single transient, the thermal limit of the equipment is not reached, but if it is switched on and switched off several times within a short period, the temperature can rise very quickly. In case of transformers, the inrush current is not sinusoidal even if the voltage is due to the hysteresis of the ferromagnetic core.
Powered by The Filipino Engineer