Power Factor Improvement

‫ﺟﺎﻣﻌﻪ اﻟﺒﻠﻘﺎء اﻟﺘﻄﺒﻴﻘﻴﺔ‬
‫ﻛﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﺤﺼﻦ اﻟﺟﺎﻣﻌﻴﺔ‬
Electrical Power system lab

Experiment (4)
Chapter (3)
Power factor improvement by using capacitor bank in

parallel with inductive load
Eng.Zeyad Lababneh
Abstract:
In this lab we were educated in how to improve power factor using capacitors in parallel
with inductive load.
1- Introduction
Power Factor Improvement

Power factor improvement refers to the process of increasing the power factor of an
electrical system, which is the ratio of the real power to the apparent power consumed by
the system. A low power factor can result in increased energy consumption, reduced
efficiency, and additional costs. Power factor improvement techniques include the use of
capacitors, harmonic filters, and active power factor correction devices to reduce reactive
power and improve overall system performance.
What is Power Factor Improvement?
Improving power factor involves minimizing the phase difference between voltage and
current. Most loads are inductive and require some reactive power to function properly.
Power factor correction is used to bring the power factor to unity. It is important to correct
power factor to avoid negative effects on energy costs, equipment lifespan, and accessory
sizing, such as electrical cables.
Induction machines used in industrial factories operating at low loads, arc lamps, and
rapidly changing power usage can result in a low power factor. As a result, utilities may
charge factories a power factor or maximum demand tariff (KVA tariff).
Power Factor Definition

Power Factor:
The Cosine of the angle between voltage and current phasors in an AC circuit is known as the Power factor.
If Φ phase angle between voltage and current, then the power factor is Cos Φ
In an ac circuit, there is generally a phase difference between voltage and current. In an inductive circuit, the current lags the applied voltage by
an angle of 'Φ ', hence the power factor of the circuit is referred to as lagging, whereas in a capacitive circuit, the current leads the applied
voltage by an angle of ‘Φ’, hence the power factor of the circuit is referred to as leading.
.
Fig (a): Phase difference between current and voltage
Advantages of Power Factor Improvement

From the above discussion, we have seen that, if the power system works with a low power factor the capital cost of the system in generation,
transmission and distribution increases. Hence, it is always advantageous for both consumers and suppliers to work at a higher improved
power factor.
The following are some of the advantages of the improved power factor
o The kW capacity of the prime mover is better utilised

o The kVA capacity of the alternator, transformer, and transmission lines is increased.
o There is a reduction in transmission line losses.
o The voltage drop in the transmission line decreases which results in better regulation
o The efficiency of every plant is increased
o The overall cost per unit decreases
Power Factor Improvement Calculation
The main cause of low power factor (0 2 to 0.3) at light loads and (0.8 to 0.9 at full loads) is due to induction motors, which have lagging
reactive currents. These lagging reactive components of current can be compensated by connecting a device having leading currents in parallel
with the load. One such device is a capacitor. The capacitor has leading currents and partly or completely compensates these lagging reactive
components of load currents. This results in an increase in the power factor of the load.
Power Factor Improvement Methods

We already discussed that the low power factor due to inductive load is undesirable, which causes so many drawbacks in the power system.
Hence, it needs to improve the power factor as nearly equal to unity. Power factor correction can be achieved by,
1. Static capacitor
2. Synchronous condenser
.
Static Capacitor
Power factor can be improved by connecting the static capacitor in parallel with the equipment operating at lagging power factor. The
capacitor draws leading currents from the supply voltage by 90° and compensates for the lagging reactive components of the load current. In
the case of 3-phase the capacitor can be connected either in star or delta as shown here.
Advantages:
o They have small losses (less than 0.5%).

o As it has no rotating parts, requires little maintenance
o Higher efficiency (above 99%).
o Low initial cost
o It can be easily installed as they are light in weight.
o It does not require any foundation
Disadvantages:
o They have short service life (8 - 10 years only).

o Easily damaged due to over-voltage.
o If they get damaged, their repair is uneconomical.
.
Synchronous Condenser
An over-excited synchronous motor running on no load is known as a Synchronous condenser. The over-excited synchronous motor takes the
leading current and behaves like a capacitor. When it is connected across supply draws leading current partially or fully compensates for the
lagging reactive components of the load current and thereby improves the power factor.
The above figure shows how a synchronous condenser is connected to improve the power factor. The 3-phase load draws a current from the
supply which lags voltage by an angle of . Now the synchronous condenser takes a current of , which leads to voltage V by an angle of .
The resultant current I can be obtained by the vector sum of and , which lags voltage by an angle of . It is clear that the angle is less
than . so that is greater than . In this way, the power factor can be improved to unity even. Synchronous condensers are usually
used where a large quantity of corrective KVAR is to be required.
Advantages:
o By varying the field excitation of the synchronous condenser, the power factor can be improved to a finer value.
o The synchronous condenser can withstand overloads for a short duration.
Disadvantages:
o The cost is higher than static capacitors of the same size (above 500 kVA)
o The maintenance and operation cost is high.
o Considerable losses in rotating parts of the synchronous condenser.
o Lower efficiency compared to the static capacitor (nearly 97 %)
o Produces noise during operation.
o Synchronous condenser is not self-starting, hence, it requires auxiliary equipment for starting.
o There is a chance to fall synchronous condenser is out of synchronism which leads to interruption of supply
.
Power Factor Improvement Solved Examples
Example1: A 3-phase, 5 kW induction motor has a p.f. of 0·75 lagging. A bank of capacitors is connected in delta across the supply terminals and
p.f. raised to 0·9 lagging. Determine the kVAR rating of the capacitors connected in each phase
Solution 1:Given
Original power factor cos 1 = 0.75lagg
motor input, P = 5kW
Final p.f cos 2 = 0.9 lagg
Efficiency, η= 100% (assumed)
1= −1(0.75)=41.41\degree
1= (41.41)=0.8819
2= −1(0.9)=25.84\degree
2= (25.84)=0.4843
Leading kVAR taken by the condenser bank
P(tanϕ1−tanϕ2)
5(0.819−0.48435) = 1.99kVAR
Rating of capacitors connected in each phase
1.99/3 = 0.66kVAR
.
Experiment Set-up:
The experiment was setup according to the circuit diagram below. The capacitive load was
made variable by connecting wires to the capacitor board in the power lab. By changing the
combination of different capacitors and turning them on, we were able to vary the
capacitance. And Inductive load was kept constant by connected the wires to inductive
board on power lab module.
.
Procedure :
• Connect the circuit as shown in the manual.

• Turn ON or OFF the particular capacitors to vary the capacitance according to the table given in the lab manual.
• Check and record the values onto the lab manual.
.
capacitor Is Vs Ic Il P Q S PF(measured) PF(CALCULATED)
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
Results and Discussions:

At the end of the exercise we got the following results:- As we can clearly see that as we
increased the capacitance in the circuit, the capacitive load increases and cancels out the
inductive load which in turn increases the Power Factor. This terminology is used in Power
transmissions where long cables are used to transmit electricity from one place to another.
Real life example of this experiment Transmission cables have conducting material in them
(usually copper). This conductive material causes a changing magnetic field around it due to
AC in it. As a result of changing magnetic field, inductive resistance is introduced. And this
inductive resistance causes a lot of power to be dissipated. To counteract this power loss,
the inductive properties are reduced by introducing capacitors in parallel in the
transmission lines. These capacitors reduce the inductive resistance to appropriate level and
thus improving the power factor.
Conclusion
• Capacitors are reactive power supplying components. When capacitors are added in
parallel to the inductive load, the inductive effect will be cancelled out.
• Beyond a certain value of capacitance, the reactive power becomes in the negative region
and the apparent power does not decrease any more but starts increasing again which
causes the power factor to decrease to lower values than one.
• low power factor increase energy losses in transmission. however high power factor
decreases losses in AC transmission.
Quastios :
How we can improve the power factors ?

What is the effect of not improving the power factor?
How we can connect the capacitor to improve power factor?
Homework 1 :
If M=15kw, cos∅ = 0.75, improve to 0.9 , find Qc?

Power Factor Improvement

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Power Factor Improvement

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Power Factor Improvement

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

‫ﺟﺎﻣﻌﻪ اﻟﺒﻠﻘﺎء اﻟﺘﻄﺒﻴﻘﻴﺔ‬

‫ﻛﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﺤﺼﻦ اﻟﺟﺎﻣﻌﻴﺔ‬

Electrical Power system lab

Power factor improvement by using capacitor bank in

Power Factor Improvement

What is Power Factor Improvement?

Power Factor Definition

Advantages of Power Factor Improvement

o The kW capacity of the prime mover is better utilised

Power Factor Improvement Calculation

Power Factor Improvement Methods

o They have small losses (less than 0.5%).

o They have short service life (8 - 10 years only).

Original power factor cos 1 = 0.75lagg

motor input, P = 5kW

Final p.f cos 2 = 0.9 lagg

Efficiency, η= 100% (assumed)

Leading kVAR taken by the condenser bank

Rating of capacitors connected in each phase

• Connect the circuit as shown in the manual.

Results and Discussions:

How we can improve the power factors ?

If M=15kw, cos∅ = 0.75, improve to 0.9 , find Qc?

You might also like