7.8 Summary. Transients in electric circuits occur due to the presence of energy storage elements (i.e., inductors and capacitors). Transients in electric circuits can be excited by initial conditions, by sources, or by both.

Why do transients occur?

Transients are very steep voltage steps that occur in electrical circuits due to the sudden release of a previously stored energy, either inductive or capacitive, which results in a high voltage transient, or surge being created.

What are transient conditions?

A system is said to be transient or in a transient state when a process variable or variables have been changed and the system has not yet reached a steady state. The time taken for the circuit to change from one steady state to another steady state is called the transient time.