Albario Engineering private Limited

HABIBULLAH COASTAL POWER PLANT QUETTA.

Our understanding of ELECTRICAL VARS or MEGAVARS

A Practical knowledge of VARS is essential for the operation of Power Plants

We can approach the subject by asking simple questions such as what are Vars? But before we do this let us recap a little bit of basics.

Today we shall briefly touch the followings:

1. DC and AC electricity
2. Induction 3. Phase difference in electrical quantity 4. Resistance/Reactance/Impedance 5. Power

6. True/Apparent and Reactive power

7. Power Triangle
8. Power Factor Effects of low Power Factor

9.

MVAR

10. Contractual limitation 11. Reactive Capability Curve of a generator

Direct current voltage or current never changes polarity.

An alternating voltage or current is one that periodically changes polarity. That is it regularly changes from a positive value to negative value, back to positive and so on. So if an AC voltage is applied across a resistor, AC current flows. This current will flow one way for the positive half cycle, then the other during the negative half cycle.
When an AC voltage is displayed on an oscilloscope we get a wave form which is simply a trace of voltage as it changes with time. This waveform is called the sine wave. .
RMS Value Instantaneous Value

30 60 90

180

270

360

Peak Value

We want to find the value of voltage at any point on a sine wave. We make use of use of trigonometry and look at the relationship of a sine wave to a circle.

A sine wave can be constructed from points around the circumference of a circle. Each point is where is raduis of the circle intersects its circumference after rotating by a known amount.
30 45 deg

Peak to peak: the value from the top to bottom of the waveform
Peak or maximum value: occurs at 90 or 270 deg Instantaneous value: is the value at any point along the sine wave.

RMS value: Root mean squire or effective value of a wave from.

Most AC voltages are measured in RMS value. The reason for an RMS value is to relate an AC value to an

When an AC voltage is applied across a resistor, AC current flows. This current will flow one way for the positive half cycle, then the other during the negative half cycle. When current flows through a resistor heat is produced, whether AC or DC. RMS: the rms value of an alternating current causes the same amount of heat dissipation as that value of direct current.

In other words RMS current of one ampere has the same heating effect as a DC current of one ampere.

Phase Difference: It is the distance in electrical degrees between two waveforms.

1 2

90

180

270

360

Inductance: It is the property of a circuit, component or inductor that opposes a change in the value of a an electrical circuit. This is caused by the magnetic field produced when a current starts to flow in an inductor. This field expands cutting the coil windings and inducing a back EMF that opposes the current. Eventually magnetic field stops expanding and the current is then limited only by the resistance of the circuit. Effect of inductance in DC circuit. In a DC circuit having

resistance and inductance in series the current takes time to reach its final value after a voltage is applied. It also takes time for the current to drop back to zero when the switch is opened. So there is a delay in a DC circuit, where the voltage changes only when power is first applied, or when it is interrupted. In the case of AC, the voltage is always changing. The result is that the current rises and falls after the voltage giving a phase difference between the two.
Switch closed Switch opened Current

Current

Time

Time

Var is the abbreviation for the term Volt Amperes Reactive. Before we proceed any further let us see what is Power? Power is the rate at which energy is transferred. Electrical energy is usually measured in Watts. Also used for a measurement of capacity. Apparent power: The product of volts and amperes.
VAR (Reactive Power) Watt (Real Power)
VA (Apparent Power)

It comprises of both
real and reactive power.

Apparent Power = S = VI Where V = supply voltage in volts (RMS), I = supply current in amperes (RMS) Most AC machines that supply power such as transformers and generators are rated in volt amperes rather than watts. This rating gives a better indication of the maximum current the device can handle.It is usually expressed in kilovolt- amperes(KVA) or megavoltamperes (MVA). Reactive Power: The portion of electricity that establishes and sustains the electric and magnetic fields of alternating current equipment. Reactive power must be supplied to most types of magnetic equipments such as motors and transformers. It also must supply the reactive losses on transmission facilities. This is the product of current flowing through the reactive component of the circuit and the voltage across it. If we know the phase angle b/w

the current and the voltage the reactive power can be found as: Reactive Power = Q = VI Sin Reactive power does no work and is sometimes called watt less component. It is present in any circuit that has inductance or capacitance. What provides reactive power ? It is provided by generators, synchronous condensers or electrostatic equipments such as capacitors and directly influences electric system voltage. It is expressed in kilovars (Kvars) or megavars (Mvars). Real Power(True Power ): It is the product of current flowing through the resistive component of the circuit and the voltage across it. It is measured in watts or kw or megawatta P = VI Cos where is the phase difference between the

supply voltage and the supply current, The term Cos is called the power factor. In a purely resistive circuit is zero so the power factor is 1 as Cos 0 = 1, so in a resistive circuit P=VI
Alternating current through resistance, inductor and capacitor When an alternating voltage is connected to a pure resistance R the current I at any instant is V/R

Power

So I is zero when V is zero and I is maximum when V is maximum Hence I and V are in phase Power = IV for both half of the cycles.

For inductance L the voltage V leads by I by 90 degree

Power

Variation of power P is a sine curve with an average of zero. Hence no power is absorbed in pure inductance. This is explained by the fact that in the first quarter of the current cycle power is absorbed(+) in the magnetic field of the coil. On the next quartercycle the power is returned (-) to the generator and so on.

With a pure capacitance, the voltage V across it lags by 90 degree on the current. As in the case of inductance, the power absorbed in a cycle is zero, This is explained by the fact that on the first quarter of the cycle energy is stored in the electrostatic field of the capacitor. On the next quarter the capacitor discharges and the energy is returned to the generator.

If Voltage V across a circuit leads by an angle on the current I, the voltage can be resolved into a component V cos in phase with the current and a voltage V sin perpendicular to the current.

V sin
P=0

V
P=IV cos
Power) (Reactive Power) MVAR MVA (Apparent

V cos
I

MW (Real Power)

Power Factor:

Cos = Base / Hypot = MW / MVA = Real Power / Apparent Power Vcos represents that part of the voltage across the total resistance in the circuit and hence the power absorbed is P= IV cos

The component Vsin is that of the applied voltage across the total inductance and capacitance. Since the power absorbed here is zero, it is sometimes called wattless component of the voltage The power factor of a circuit is defined as the ratio

Power absorbed (W) / Apparent Power (VI)

or

Power Factor = MW / MVA

Since VI is the maximum power which would be absorbed if the whole circuit was a resistance Power factor = IV Cos / IV = Cos Power Factor or Var flow are all part of the same thing.Power Factor is just a measurement of the distance in time that the voltage and current are separated.

Causes of Low Power Factor:

The basic cause of low power factor is reactance in the circuit. The reactance is usually inductance and can come from:
Electric motor that are lightly loaded

Transformer that are lightly loaded.

Fluorescent lights (because of the ballast in series with fluorescent tube). Disadvantages of low Power Factor: In a three phase system, Power =W = 3VI Cos

I = W/3 V Cos
1.Line losses are proportional to square of current which means Proportional to 1/Cos square. Thus losses of Cos

= 0.8 are 1.57 times those at unity power factor. 2.Ratings of generator and transformer etc. are proportional to current and hence on to 1/Cos , therefore large generators and transformers are required. 3.Low lagging PF causes a large voltage drop, hence extra regulation equipment is required to keep voltage drop with in prescribed limit. Power Factor Correction: By ensuring that motors and transformers are fully loaded.

 Adding capacitance to an installation that has inductance. This is often needed when an installation has a lot of lights. A capacitor takes a leading current so it cancels the lagging current drawn by the inductance As most electrical installations are inductive, capacitance is often added to increase the power factor. This can be done with capacitors or with a load that has a leading power factor such as an appropriately adjusted synchronous motor. This type of motor is sometimes used just for power factor correction.

However, as we have seen it is measured as cosine of the angle that separates the current and voltage. Obviously power factor can also be leading or lagging for the same reason as Vars. If anything like unity power factor existed in a system, then no Vars will flow in the system.

It should therefore, be clear by now that if we had an isolated generator that fed an isolated, purely resistive load, there is no way we could get that generator to produce or receive Vars no matter how much we raised or lowered the voltage. By the same token, if we used an isolated generator to drive a pure reactance ( capacitive or inductive) there is no way we could produce anything but Vars. Actually, of course, there is no such thing as pure reactance but the point is that reactive loads cause Vars to flow, not generators.

Coming back to VARS which is volt amperes reactive

We all know that volt ampere is just the product of volt and amperes.

Reactive is a word which is derived from the from of opposition to electrical current called reactance
There are two types of reactance:

Capacitive reactance and Inductive Reactance

Capacitive Reactance: is the opposition to the current flow through a capacitor. A capacitor receives current and converts it into electrostatic energy that is stored between the capacitor plates.Inductive Reactance: Inductive Reactance is caused by coils in relays, transformers , motors and most form of electrical equipments. Inductive reactance converts current to magnetic lines that are stored in the space around the coils.

Most electrical equipments is inductive so in power plant we are mostly concerned with inductive reactance.

Circulation of Reactive current: Magnetic energy is being stored in magnetic field as the current is rising. It also continuously increases with the rising current. When the AC current passes the peak value and starts to decrease the magnetic lines begins to collapse, inducing a voltage in the coil turns in the opposite direction that produces a current that is returned to the generator.
Thus some of the current which goes to an inductive device ( say a motor ), is transformed into magnetic lines and later transferred back into current that is returned to the generator. This circulating current is called wattless current because the energy that went out as current is returned with out being lost except for the I square R watt loss in the wires.

Suppose the system voltage have come down suddenly to 121.5 KV and frequency is 49.5 , in other words some generating units have tripped . State what action you will take or NPCC will ask you to do? We shall increase our generator voltage in order to maximize Vars or export war. In order to do this we must increase the excitation current which is possible by increasing the field voltage. As the generator output voltage increases in relation with the system, the generator power factor goes more lagging and the MVARS out increases.Vars are like water; they can be viewed as flowing down the hill. They flow from the highest voltage point in the system to the lowest voltage point and their quantity is divided in such a way that the lowest voltage points get the most vars to raise them up to the same voltage level as the rest of the system.

Obviously it is not quite true that circulating vars dont require energy to produce because small resistances in the wires and machines can some time produce significant losses because the watt loss increases exponentially as the square of the current. Losses then tend to rise steeply with increasing current. The production of vars does require increasing the current. Are vars a function of the load or of the generator? The need of the vars is caused by the inductive nature of the load. The amount of vars, however , is controlled by simply raising or lowering the output voltage. The reason for this is that as the voltage is raised, the increasing current can be converted to stronger magnetic field through out the system. Increased power cannot be supplied to the load by raising voltage because more power out can only be supplied by putting more power into the shaft. To do this the governor setting must be raised.

Are vars a function of the load or of the generator?

The need of the vars is caused by the inductive nature of the load. The amount of vars, however , is controlled by simply raising or lowering the output voltage. The reason for this is that as the voltage is raised, the increasing current can be converted to stronger magnetic field through out the system.
Increased power cannot be supplied to the load by raising voltage because more power out can only be supplied by putting more power into the shaft. To do this the governor setting must be raised. What is lagging or leading vars ? In capacitors the current leads the voltage because the current flows into the capacitor causing the voltage to build up across it as a slightly delayed effect, much as pouring water into the bucket causes it to gradually be filled as a delayed effect of pouring water in. In inductance, however, voltage must build up across the coils before current can start flow through them and thus the current lags the voltage.

What is var in and var out? Normally a generator supplies power out and lagging vars out to load that have lagging power factors. This is the preferred way of operating a generator because it is operating in what is called the overexcited region since the field is not only producing enough flux to generate the required power, but it is also producing extra flux that can be used to force vars over the entire electrical system that helps to even out and hold up the required voltage everywhere. Note that in this case the vars are flowing out. If the voltage on the machines falls below the average system voltage other machines force lagging Vars ( from the other generator view) into the generator just enough to bring its voltage up to the level of the system.

Why is this forcing of Vars into a generator often called forcing it into the lead just because it is now taking them instead of of pushing them out? A generator can produce power out and force it into the system while either pushing vars out or drawing lagging vars in from an external source. The situation of forcing power (MW) out while drawing Vars in changes the angle between voltage and current at the terminal of the machine and this is called leading. Generators are inductive so lagging vars flow in them. Since the angle moves in the lead direction, it makes it possible for field failure relay to recognize this as a partial loss of field and close a current operated contact to close that looks only at current direction. After the directional contact closes the relay only waits for the loss of field to become severe enough to cause trip of the machine. It is not too comforting a thought to realize that just as soon as the

machine moves into the lead by 13 degree the directional element on the loss of field relay and you are half way to tripping the generator off. The moral of the story is never operate the generator in the lead, or under excited region as it is also called.

Flow of Watts & VARs

The real power output of a generator is controlled by varying the torque applied to its shaft by the prime mover.

The reactive power output is controlled by varying the field excitation.

A fault, or low voltage condition on the power system will tend to increase the VAR out put of a generator or decrease its power factor in the lagging region and a VAR or power factor controller will actually reduce excitation in response to this condition.

Power Factor of a generator & reactive capability curve. The generator MVA rating is related to turbine output by the power factor: MW/Pf = MVA Since the generator size is based on MVA rather than MW, the lower the power factor, the larger the generator. The power factor also determines the amount of reactive MVA capability the customer receives for a particular MW output.A generator capability curve shows the continuum of operation for a generator. The generator has the capability to operate anywhere within the curve. So the generators have a range of voltage, MW and MVARs that they may operate within.

Power Factor of a generator & reactive capability curve.

The generator MVA rating is related to turbine output by the power factor:
MW/PF = MVA

Since the generator size is based on MVA rather than MW, the lower the power factor, the larger the generator.
The power factor also determines the amount of reactive MVA capability the customer receives for a particular MW output. The generators have range of voltage, Mega-watts and MegaVARS that they may operate within. A generator capability curve shows the continuum of operation for a generator. The generator has the capability to operate anywhere within the curve.

What the PPA says about VAR capability of the complex?

At 100 % load at mean site condition complex should be able to export 92 MVAR at 0.8 Power Factor lagging. i.e; 23 Mvar /unit. And import 59 MVAR at 0.9 leading Power Factor. i.e; 14.7 Mvar/unit.

At 2030 hours on Oct 15, 2003 the complex was operating at 13 Mvar lagging. Which means the generator of each unit was exporting about 4 Mvar. Since the VAR output was low the generator power factor was quite high (0.97) and the current was 1600 amperes.

Imagine if the units were exporting very near to contractual limit of 23 Mvar each. The generator power factor would drop to 0.8 and the current rise to 1800~1900 amperes and there could be HOT AIR alarm on the generator which might force the operator to reduce the MVAR export.