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Capacitors For Power Factor Correction
Capacitors For Power Factor Correction
No. 0011
4-20-2012
1. Basic Power
In any power system, there are three components that effect connected equipment: real, reactive, and
active power. Active power is the most commonly understood, and is measured in watts (W) or kilowatts
(kW). Real power is given in volt-amps (kVA), and represents the power that is actually doing work. Reactive
power (kVAR) represents the portion of power flow that is temporarily stored in the form of electric or
magnetic fields, due to inductive and capacitive network elements, and returned to power source. The power
factor (PF) of an AC electrical system is given as a percentage of the actual power drawn. That percentage
represents how much of the total power being drawn is real power, and how much is reactive power.
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[2] Current
Correction Capacitors
Limiting Fuses
Figure 1
Figure 2 below shows the connection of these capacitors to the motor leads. The capacitor
leads are simply connected directly in parallel with the main motor leads.
Figure 2
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4. Equations for Selecting Capacitors
A standard power factor correction system is selected based on the no load kVA of the motor. To
determine the correct kVAR value of the capacitor to be used for PF correction, the following calculations can
be applied. All of the data required to perform these calculations is provided in the standard software package,
i.e. the motor datasheets. It is therefore advisable to perform all calculations and use the lower calculated
kVAR for capacitor selection.
Equation 1:
0.9
1000
Where:
1.73
1
An industry standard capacitor is selected with a value equal to or less than the kVAR calculated above. The
goal is to select a capacitor that is as close to this calculated kVAR as possible without exceeding it. This
ensures the best power factor correction without risking damage to the motor or anything else connected to the
capacitor.
Example 1:
For a motor that runs at 4000V, has a no load current of 30A, and will be running at 15% overspeed, a kVAR
value would be calculated as:
0.9 30
1000
4000 1.73
1 .15
186840
1322.5
141.278
From this value, a capacitor would be selected with a kVAR of 125 because the next higher capacitor is rated
at 150 kVAR, which would exceed the calculated value.
Some other basic calculations are listed below, including how to calculate line power factor, as well as
an alternate method for calculating a kVAR for the capacitors that are to be used.
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Equation 2:
To determine the value of a capacitor in kVAR that will correct power factor to 95%:
tan cos
tan cos 1 . 95
Where:
=
Input power in kilowatts with rated output horsepower or rated output power of a
generator.
tan cos
tan cos 1 . 85
Example 2:
To correct the power factor on a motor that runs at 1500 HP, 4000V, 91% power factor, and 95.6% efficiency,
up above 95%, plug these values into equation 2, and write:
tan cos 1. 91
. 4556
1500
1000
tan cos 1 . 95
.3287
746
.4556 .3287
.956
1119000
.1269
956
148.5
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For this power factor correction, use a 125 kVAR capacitor because the next higher rating is 150 kVAR and
that exceeds the calculated value. The difference between Equation 2 and Equation 1 is that Equation 2 is
based on the horsepower, efficiency, and uncorrected power factor of the motor. However, Equation 1 gives a
kVAR value equal to 90% of the no load kVA of the motor.
Equation 3:
To determine the line PF of a system with known capacitive reactance:
PFL
Cos Tan1
Tan
.746
Where:
and PF is the uncorrected PF of the system.
Example 3:
Given a machine that is 1500 HP, using a 125 kVAR capacitor, has an uncorrected power factor of 91% and
which is 95.6% efficient, write:
PFL
Cos Tan1
Tan
125 .956
1500 .746
Cos Tan1 . 45 . 11
Cos . 34
.94
PFL
5. Precautions
The kVAR calculated in all of the above examples is the total three phase kVAR for the motor.
Additionally, precautions should be taken when connecting capacitors to motors that are multispeed, wye-delta
start, or used with autotransformers. In cases like these, any fast switching will parallel the incoming line
voltage with whatever voltage was stored in the capacitors. The resulting transient voltage is unpredictable and
can generate transient currents and torques that could be high enough to damage the machine. When
connecting power factor correction capacitors in conjunction with other equipment, the manufacturer of said
equipment should be consulted to be sure that the equipment is compatible with the capacitors.
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