These capacitors are made with aluminium and use a technology that is designed to achieve a high level of performance. They can be used in all types of electrical equipment and machinery, including power plants and substations.
The capacitance is measured in farads (F). The voltage rating is measured in kV (kilovolts) or MVA (megavolts). The type of capacitor depends on the application and the needs of the user.
The capacitor is a passive electronic component that stores electrical energy in an electric field. The dielectric material between the plates of a capacitor is polarized, so that the charge carriers are confined to one plate or the other. The capacitor is made up of two conductors separated by a dielectric. These conductors and any electrodes they may have are called electrodes of the capacitor, while the dielectric generally consists of a solid insulator with a surface charge.
The capacitor was originally known as a Condenser or Leyden Jar, but Condenser was dropped in favor of Capacitor since it was well known that capacitors could be used for charging and discharging quickly, not just accumulating a static charge. The term condenser has survived in radio terminology; "condensers" (capacitors) were widely used in early radio receivers.
If the voltage across a capacitor exceeds its rated voltage it breaks down (or opens circuit) and no longer functions as a capacitor (no longer retains charge). This phenomenon is known as dielectric breakdown. It can be described as current flow through an insulating medium due to an applied voltage exceeding its breakdown voltage VBR