BEEM 2395 GENERATOR SYSTEM OPERATION, MAINTENANCE & SERVICING

AC Power Review Calculation

Question 1
A large electrical load is outfitted with a wattmeter to measure its true power. If the
load voltage is 7.2 kV and the load current is 24 amps, calculate the load’s apparent
power (S). Calculate the power factor and also the phase angle between voltage and
current in the circuit if the wattmeter registers 155 kW at those same voltage and
current values.
Draw a “power triangle” for this circuit, graphically showing the relationships between
apparent power, true power, and phase angle.
Answer:
P.F. = 0.897 Θ = 26.23 o

Question 2
An inductive AC load draws 13.4 amps of current at a voltage of 208 volts. The
phase shift between line voltage and line current is measured with an oscilloscope,
and determined to be 23o. Calculate the following:
Apparent power (S) =
True power (P) =
Reactive power (Q) =
Answer:

Apparent power (S) = 2.787 kVA

True power (P) = 2.567 kW
Reactive power (Q) = 1.089 kVAR
Question 3:
An AC load exhibits a lagging power factor of 0.73 at 230 VAC and 315 amps. If the
system frequency is 60 Hz, calculate the following:
Apparent power (S) =
True power (P) =
Reactive power (Q) =
Answer:
1|Pa g e
 BEEM 2395 GENERATOR SYSTEM OPERATION, MAINTENANCE & SERVICING

Apparent power (S) = 72.45 kVA

True power (P) = 52.89 kW
Reactive power (Q) = 49.52 kVAR
Question 4
An inductive AC load consumes 15.2 MW of true power at a voltage of 115 kV and
149.8 amps. If the system frequency is 50 Hz, calculate the following:
Apparent power (S) =
Reactive power (Q) =
Power factor =
Answer:
Apparent power (S) = 17.23 MVA
Reactive power (Q) = 8.107 MVAR
Power factor = 0.882
Question 5

The three different types of power in AC circuits are as follows:

S = apparent power, measured in Volt-Amps (VA)
P = true power, measured in Watts (W)
Q = reactive power, measured in Volt-Amps reactive (VAR)
Explain the names of each of these power types. Why are they called “apparent,”
“true,” and “reactive”?
Answer:

“Apparent” power is apparently the total circuit power when volts and amps are
multiplied together. “Reactive” power is due to reactive components (L and C) only,
and “True” power is the only type that actually accounts for energy leaving the circuit
through a load component.

2|Pa g e