Hi all, I have a simple question about Capacitors, and more specifically how they act in an AC circuit.

I know and understand the basics of capacitors (Structure, Fucntion, and method) but I was still left with a few questions after reading as much as i could find on the subject...

In an AC circuit a capacitor almost acts as a psuedo resistor in that it has a reactance. I also know that this reactance of a capacitor is dependent on the capacitance of the capacitor, as well as the frequency of the input current. Some textbooks/examples I have seen go on to have you find the current in a circuit given a capacitance and frequency. My remaining question from this is; Given a large capacitance (posssibly many caps in parallel) and a very high frequency source, would it be possible to generate somewhere around 100 amps? Possibly higher? In pulses or for a sustainable amount of time?

Thank you for any answers
(And sorry for the big text wall )

 

Do some math.
Here's one capacitor at 110 micro-ohms of resistance. Throw 100 amps through that and you get 11 millivolts. Power dissipated is 1.1 watts.
This being a polarized electrolytic, you will need two of them which means each will dissipate 1.1 watts. Very reasonable power loss.
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay/511D108M035EK4DE3/?qs=vcAr8U44QlVrPRh75ooB1g==

I assume you can do the math to find out what frequency you would need to use for 1000 uf at 35 volts to get that much current through them.
First estimate shows a fairly low frequency.
Next question: Will the wire leads melt?

 

On the other hand, an induction heater for melting steel could have such a current flowing through the capacitor bank and the heating coil.