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Figure 2
TS0011 Reference D.S. 10.3.7
Technically Speaking
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 1.73
1000 1
Where: = No load current at rated voltage.
= Rated Voltage.
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:
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.
746
1000 .
If a power factor of 95% is requested, the value of the necessary capacitor can be calculated using the above
equations. This calculation will give a different kVAR value from that calculated in Equation 1. The lesser of
the two values is always taken to ensure that the motor is not damaged by the addition of the capacitors in the
circuit. For this calculation, the same procedure is used as above, i.e. an in industry standard capacitor with
kVAR value less than or equal to the calculated value. Also, the value of 0.95 in the above equation can be
substituted with another value to correct to a different power factor. For example, to correct to a power factor
of 85%, one could write:
tan cos 1 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 tan cos 1 . 95
. 4556 .3287
1500 746
.4556 .3287
1000 .956
1119000
.1269
956
148.5
TS0011 Reference D.S. 10.3.7
Technically Speaking
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 Tan‐1 Tan ‐
.746
Where:
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:
125 .956
PFL Cos Tan‐1 Tan ‐
1500 .746
Cos Tan‐1 . 45 ‐ . 11
Cos . 34 .94 PFL
Giving a corrected line power factor of 94%
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.