Capacitance

Realisation of the unit of Capacitance

Electric capacitance (C) is the quotient of electric charge (Q) and electric potential difference (U); (C = Q/U). The unit of electric capacitance is the Farad (F). The unit Farad is realised using a Thompson-Lampard Capacitor, tracing capacitance back to length measurement. Only a few metrology institutes have implemented this method. To realise the unit of electric capacitance BEV uses a set of standard capacitors periodically calibrated at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) in Paris.

Emanating from these standard capacitors are higher and lower capacitance values which are derived using a high-precision measurement bridge at BEV.

Customers’ capacitors are calibrated by determining their values against one of our set of basic standard capacitors using the capacitance measuring bridge.