FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

POWER FACTOR

OBJECTIVE

1. To study the relationship between power factor and current in a single-phase AC Circuit.
2. To study the effect of adding capacitor in parallel with a single-phase AC Circuit.

LIST OF REQUIREMENTS

Virtual Equipment
1. Function generator (AC voltage source)

Virtual Components
1. Resistor: 60 Ω
2. capacitor
3. Inductor: 160 mH
4. Ground
5. wires

THEORY

Most household appliance (such as washing machine) and refrigerator and industrial load (such
as induction motors) are inductive and operate at low lagging power factor. These loads draw more
current and increase the energy lost and requires large wire and other equipment.
Although the inductive nature of the load cannot be changed, we can increase its power factor.
The process of increasing the power factor without altering the voltage and current to the original
load is known as power factor correction. Since most loads are inductive, a load’s power factor is
corrected by installing a capacitor in parallel with the load as shown in Figure 5.1. It is evident from
Figure 5.2 that adding the capacitor has caused the phase between the voltage and current is
reduced from θ1 to θ2, thereby increase the power factor.

1
 Figure 5.1

Figure 5.2

PRE-LAB CALCULATIONS

1. If R1= 300 Ω is connected in series with an inductive reactance of L1 = 0.8H as shown in Figure
5.3, what will be the impedance angle of this series combination? Calculate the power factor of the
circuit.

Figure 5.3

2. Draw the phasor diagrams for the voltages in Figure 5.3. Take voltage across the resistor (VR) as
the reference vector.

2
SIMULATION PROCEDURES

1. Construct the circuit as shown in Figure 5.4 by using Multisim Online or other suitable
simulation software with Vin=120 Vrms sine at 60 Hz, R=60 Ω and L=160 mH.

Figure 5.4

2. Insert probe to measure voltage and current by selecting the appropriate probe as shown in
Figure 5.5.

Figure 5.5

3. Set the simulation time to 0.05s as depicted in Figure 5.6 and then run the simulation.

Figure 5.6
3
4. Observe the voltage waveforms (V1) and current waveform (I) on the grapher and obtain the
phase difference between these two signals by using 360*∆𝑡*F where ∆𝑡 is the time difference
between signals V and I while F is the frequency as shown in Figure 5.7. Calculate power factor
from the phase value obtained and record in Table 5.1.

Figure 5.7

5. Calculate real power by using P=IR2R and record in Table 5.1.

6. Calculate apparent power by using S=P/cosθ and record in Table 5.1.

7. Calculate reactive power by using Q=P tanθ and record in Table 5.1.

8. Now connect the capacitor parallel to the inductive RL load as shown in Figure 5.8.

IS

IR

Figure 5.8

9. Repeat steps 4 through 7 by using the value of capacitor as listed in Table 5.1.

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 Table 5.1: Measurement of Current and Power for single-phase circuit.

Capacitance IS θ P.F. P S Q
(µF) (A) (kW) (kVA) (kVAr)
-
1.842
7.368
11.052
23.947
30
35
40

DISCUSSION

1. Describe the effect of capacitor to the inductive load.

2. What is the best value of capacitor that results the excellence power factor?
3. Explain why the current increases after certain increment of capacitor value.

CONCLUSION
Conclude the experiment outcome.