What is the difference between a full-load current, rated

current & nominal current?

18 Answers

Tehsin Ud Din Khan Wazir, Electrical Engineer

Answered Nov 9, 2016 · Author has 227 answers and 655.6k answer views

The term rated in any electrical equipment,whether its RATED VOLTAGE or RATED
CURRENT means it is the maximum value of current,voltage or any other parameter
beyond which the machine will not be operating according toits desired
operation.Beyond the rated value the machine may have some faults or damages .

The rated current (or nominal current) is the current the device is rated at for
continuous service. The operating current I2 is the current causing operation of the
device in conventional time. and Full load current is the current when the motor is
subjected to the load that it can bear and the current at that time is called full load
current.

31.1k Views · 8 Upvotes · Answer requested by Jeeson Joshy

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Binita Kumari Dash, I'm a B. Tech graduate in EE, and now pursuing M. Tech

Answered Apr 27, 2016 · Author has 129 answers and 201.6k answer views

Normally the difference is just in the naming and certainly in some applications.
Full load current -
It is the maximum amount of current flowing through the equipment at full load under specified
conditions.

Rated current -
Rated current is the current specified in the nameplate of the instrument as specified by the
manufacturer. This is also the rated current that a machine can carry without any damage.

Nominal current -
The maximum current under nominal or rated voltage and power conditions. This is mostly the
same as rated current.

Mainly, they all represent the same value under most operating conditions. But sometimes, in ac
application, the full load current may represent the peak current. While the rated current
represents the rms current at its peak value.

18.9k Views · 15 Upvotes · Answer requested by Jitendra Borole

Ganesh Subramaniam, Amateur Radio Operator, Amateur Astronomer

Answered Nov 23, 2015 · Author has 2k answers and 2.9m answer views

I thought it's best to answer your question by using an example of a power source. Let's take a
DC power supply as an example; to be precise, a 0 to 30V DC variable power supply capable of
providing current up to 5 Amps.

The rated current of this unit is 5 Amps - meaning it can provide 5 Amps current at any voltage
between 0-30V DC. This is the same as the nominal current. Meaning, we cannot exceed 5
Amps load.

If you want to test this power supply at full load current, most people would say you load 5 amps
at 30V but that is not what is needed. You need to set the output at 1 volt and the load resistance
for 5 Amps - like 0.20 ohms. This is the full load of the system. Let me explain.

To provide an output of 30V DC, the transformer in the power supply will be wound for at least
40V AC - so that after all the losses in the circuit, we will get 30V DC output. If you load 5 Amps
on the full rated voltage, i.e, 30V DC - by using a resistor of 6 ohms (of course, one that is able to
withstand the 150 watts) then, the power supply is not actually fully loaded - because, you are
utilising almost all the output of the transformer, leaving only 10V behind - and assuming the
loss in the circuit is 5V, you still have 5V which is dissipated as heat. 5V @ 5 Amps is only
25Watts so it's no big deal. If the power supply is built out of a metal case, the casing itself can
act as a heatsink for 25 watts which shows up on the power-transistor. The power transistor
putting out an output of 30V must have a minimum voltage across the collector-emitter (Vce)
to be able to provide a steady output. (regulated output)

On the other hand, if you set the output at 1V and load 5 Amps, then you are utilizing only 1V of
the source, leaving behind 39V in the system. The circuit loss remains the same at 5V so that
leaves 34 volts across the collector-emitter not doing any work and dissipating heat. That
would be 170 Watts of heat. If the power transistor is not mounted on a suitable heat-sink, it will
burn out - the collector and emitter will fuse due to the high temperature. This will be the
ultimate test for full load on a power supply.

It is not the same case with AC. If a transformer is built for an output of say, 1000V at 1 Amp,
that is the rated current as well as the nominal current. To fully load this transformer you need
to draw 1000V at 1 Amp so that you can make sure that the transformer will work at 1000W
continuously without getting heated up.

If we take an example of a Motor, then the Rated current will be the maximum current that the
motor can handle. Nominal current is the current drawn by the motor when it is running but not
connected to any load. The full load current is when the motor is connected to any gadget like a
water-pump or a compressor etc. suitable for use with the motor in question. If the current
increases beyond the rated current, that means the motor is over loaded - of course, assuming
everything else is alright.