POWER FACTOR CORRECTION

POWER FACTOR CORRECTION

         Power factor correction is a measure of how effectively the current is being converted into useful work output. Recall that the power triangle shows the relationship between real power (P), reactive power (Q) and apparent power (S). In single phase circuits, we apply power factor correction and it is also being applied in three-phase circuits.  According to conservation of ac power, power is neither be created nor destroyed. It is just converted from one form to another.

           In big power plants, industrial systems and etc, they were used to meet and maintain the standard power factor. It is in the sense that if their power factor is less than to the limit or standard, they will be penalized. A load with a low power factor draws more current than a load with a high power factor. The higher currents increase the energy lost in the distribution system, and require larger wires and other equipment. Because of the costs of larger equipment and wasted energy, electrical utilities will usually charge a higher cost to industrial or commercial customers where there is a low power factor.

         The ideal power factor reaches unity which is equal to 1. This can only be happen if phase angles of voltage and current are in phase and apparent power is equal to real power (S=P). Inductive loads cause the current to lag the voltage. The wave forms of voltage and current are then out of phase. The more out of phase they become, the lower the power factor. This induction is caused by equipment such as lighting loaded electric motors, transformers, welding sets and etc.

SAMPLE PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

LEARNINGS:

           I’ve learned and realized that it is quite difficult to solve power in three-phase systems especially you don’t know whether the connection is delta or wye but by remembering that a three phase power is simply three times the single phase power, any three phase problem can be simplified.  When calculating the current use the phase voltage which is related to the line voltage by the square root of three.  Using these rules it is possible to work out any three phase problem without the need to remember and/or resort to formulas. Especially, memorizing all the formulas is useless without knowing when, where and how will you apply these formulas and without analyzing the given circuit.