UNIT:I

CHAPTER:III

LESSON 6

POWER FACTOR AND IT’S CORRECTION

Our journey till date was all learning about the basics of electrical circuits.From here we
move into the next segment of electric engineering i.e the one which deals with the basics
of power.Lets try to understand what is electric power with the help of following
example.
On one fine day while attending the regular classes you suddenly felt very thirsty,you
took the permission to go to the tap and drink water.But suddenly a brilliant idea struck
your mind and you landed up with a jug full of cold coffee in your hand.As you drank
coffee your thirst got quenched.This aspect of coffee which quenched your thirst is the
usefull or real power.But all the foam in the coffee which contributed nothing in
quenching your thirst but added to the total volume is the reactive power.The jug with
coffee and foam is the total power or apparent power.Now let’s talk about power in
technical terms.
The apparent electrical power in a.c circuits is made up is made up of two
components viz real(kW) and reactive(kVAR).Out of these two the real power is that
power which enables the equipment to perform useful work.While the reactive power is
the one that is required by the magnetic equipment (transformer,motor and relay)to
produce the magnetizing flux.The power triangle representing the different power
components can be drawn as under.

KVAR KVA

KW

POWER FACTOR:
It is the ratio of working power to apparent power .It can be given as:

P.f =kW/kVA
=kW/(kW+kVAR)
from the power triangle
cosθ=kW/kVA

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 hence power factor = cosθ
and cosθ= kW/kVA
=kW/(kW+kVAR)
From the above equation we can see that the p.f depends on kVAR.Higher the kVAR
lower is the p.f and viceversa.
For an efficient system it is desirable that the kVAR should be low i.e the p.f should be as
close to one as possible.This abridges the gap between the real power and the apparent
power and hence the available useful power is maximum.

Disadvantages of low power factor:

The current for a given load supplied at constant voltage will be higher at lower power
factor and viceversa.For exampleif a load Pis supplied at terminal voltage V and the p.f is
Cosθ by a three phase balanced system then the load current is given by:
IL=P/(√3V cosθ)
If P and V are constant ,the load current , IL is inversely proportional to p.f i.e lower the
p.f ,higher the current and viceversa .The high current due to poor p.f affects the system
and results in following disadvantages:
1)Rating of the generators and transformers are proportional to their output currents
hence inversely proportional to p.f ,therefore large generators and transformers are
required to deliver the same load but at lower p.f.
2) the cross-sectional area of the busbar ,and the contact surface of the switchgear is
required to be enlarged for the same power to be delivered but at low power factor.
3)For the same power to be transmitted but at lower power factor ,the transmission line or
distributer or cable have to carry more current .The size of the conductor will have to be
increased if the current density in the line is to be kept constant.Thus more conductor
material is required to transmission lines ,distributers and cables to deliver the same load
but at lower p.f.
4)Energy losses are proportional to the square of the current hence inversely proportional
to the square of the p.f i.e more energy losses incur at low p.f which results in poor
efficiency.

Causes of low p.f

Higher kvar results in lower p.f and the inductive loads in the circuit cause a large kvar
Inductive loads (which are sources of Reactive power )include:
Transformers
Induction motors
Induction generators
High intensity discharge lighting
These inductive loads constitutes a major portion of the power consumed in the
industrial complexes.
Reactive power required by the inductive loads increases the amount of apparent
power in the distribution system.This increase in the reactive and apparent power results
in larger angleθ .As θ increases ,cosine θ(or power factor )decreases.

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 KVA
KVAR
KVAR KVA

KW
KW
So, inductive loads (with large kVAR ) results in low p.f

Advantages of power factor improvement:

The benefits of power factor improvement are:
1)Lower utility fees by:
By lowering the p.f the use of kVAR is reduced .This results in less kW,which further
reduces the cost of power and power bill.
2)Increased system capacity and reduced system losses.
By adding capacitors to the system ,the p.f is improved and kW capacity of the system is
increased.
3)Increased voltage level in electrical system and cooler and more efficient motors.

Methods of p.f improvement:

The power factor can be improved by using the following:

1)Installing capacitors : It decreases the magnitude of reactive power, thus increasing
the p.f.
2)Minimizing operation of idling or lightly doped motors :Precisely running the
induction motors lightly loaded gives rise to lower p.f hence if this practice of running the
induction motors under load is given up then the problem of low power factor can be
reduced to a larger extent.
3)Avoiding operation of equipment above its rated voltage.

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