LIGHT SOURCES 6-45

High voltage may also constitute a safety hazard and various protective
devices are used to prevent people from coming in contact with an open
circuit.
Power factor correction
for fluorescent-lamp ballasts. Inherent charac-
teristics of leakage reactance transformers result in a low power factor.
The true watts of a low-power-factor transformer are approximately
the same as the true watts of the high-power-factor type when connected
to the same load. The low-power-factor type of transformer draws more
current from the power supply, and, therefore, larger supply conductors
are necessary than when using high-power-factor-type transformers. Some
public utilities supplying power have established in their rate schedules
penalty clauses for low-power-factor installations and bonus clauses for
high-power-factor installations. The use of high-power-factor transform-
ers permits greater loads to be carried by existing wiring systems.
Typical power-factor-corrected circuits for preheat-starting lamps are
shown in Fig. 6-40o(l) and
(2).
The power factor of existing instant-starting ballast installations for
cylindrical (cold) cathode lamps can be corrected to the desired value by
use of condensers connected across the primary supply lines between the
primary switch and the load (Fig. 6-40, b). The use of a capacitor trans-
former as in circuit 2 of Fig. 6-40 b), usually is less expensive, as the effect
of condenser capacity varies as the square of the voltage applied across
its terminals. The capacitor transformer is of "auto"-type construction
with extended winding depending on the voltage rating of the condenser.

T TO LAMP
LOAD
LOW POWER FACTOR
TRANSFORMERS
LINE
LINE
HIGH POWER
FACTOR
TRANSFORMER
FIG. 6-40. Typical power factor correction methods: a. Preheat-starting, fila-
ment-cathode lamp circuits (l)
two-lamp ballast with integral condenser;

single-
lamp ballast with condenser, b. Instant starting cylindrical (cold) cathode lamp
circuits;

condenser;

capacitor transformer;
()
integral condenser in high
power factor transformer.