BASIC CONCEPTS IN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (part 1)

A. Demand or Average Demand

The demand of an installation or system is the load at the receiving terminals averaged over a
specified interval of time.
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=
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B. Maximum Demand

The maximum demand of an installation or system is the greatest of all demands which have
occurred during the specified period of time.

C. Demand Factor

The demand factor is the ratio of the maximum demand of a system to the total connected load
of the system.

The total connected load of the system is defined as the sum of the continuous ratings of the
load consuming equipment connected to the system. Both the maximum demand and the total
connected load should be expressed in the same units thus making the demand factor
dimensionless.

= ( 1)

D. Utilization Factor (UF)

The utilization factor is the ratio of the maximum demand of a system to the rated capacity of
the system.

= ( 1)

E. Load Factor (LDF)

The load factor is the ratio of the average load over a designated period of time to the peak
load occurring in that period.

= ( 1)

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 F. Diversity Factor (DF)

The diversity factor is the ratio of the sum of the individual maximum demands of the various
subdivisions of a system to the maximum demand of the whole system.
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= ( 1)

G. Coincident Factor (CF)

Some engineers prefer to have a factor which describes the characteristics of loads that have a
value equal to or less than unity. The reciprocal of the diversity factor is known as the
coincident factor.
1
= ( 1)

5
= 0.5(1 + )
2 +3
H. Load Diversity

Load diversity is the difference between the sum of the peaks of two or more individual loads
and the peak of the combined load.

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