PF meters

What is the use of pf measurement

• In power transmission system and distribution
system we measure power factor at every
station and electrical substation using these
power factor meters.
• Power factor measurement provides us the
knowledge of type of loads that we are using
and helps in calculation of losses happening
during the power transmission system and
distribution.
• Hence we need a separate device for calculating the power factor
accurately and more precisely.
• General construction of any power factor meter circuit include two
coils namely pressure coil and current coil.
• Pressure coil is connected across the circuit while current coil is
connected such that it can carry circuit current or a definite fraction
of current.
• By measuring the phase difference between the voltage and current
the electrical power factor can be calculated on suitable calibrated
scale.
• Usually the pressure coil is splits into two parts namely inductive
and non-inductive part or pure resistive part.
• There is no requirement of controlling system because at
equilibrium there exist two opposite forces which balance the
movement of pointer without any requirement of controlling force.
 Types
• Electrodynamometer type
• Moving iron type
Rotating field type
Alternating field type
 Electrodynamometer Type Power Factor Meter

• In electrodynamometer type power factor

meter there are further two types on the basis
of supply voltage

 Single phase
 Three phase
• Now the pressure coil is split into
two parts one is purely inductive
another is purely resistive as
shown in the diagram by resistor
and inductor.
• At present the reference plane is
making an angle θ with coil A.
• And the angle between both the
coils A and B is 90o.
• Thus the coil B is making an
angle (90o + θ) with the reference
plane. Scale of the meter is
properly calibrated as shown the
value values of cosine of angle θ.
• Let us mark the electrical
resistance connected to coil A be
R and inductor connected to coil
B be L.
• Now during measurement of
power factor the values of R and
L are adjusted such that R = wL
so that both coils carry equal
magnitude of current.
• Therefore the current passing
through the coil B is lags by 90o
with reference to current in coil
A as coil B path is highly
inductive in nature.
• Though power factor meter is an indicating instrument but
no controlling torque is provided in this instrument.
•  The currents are being led into the moving
coils A and B by fine ligaments which exert no control.
• Since no controlling torque is provided in this instrument,
therefore, when it is not connected in the circuit, the
moving coils will remain in the position in which these are
turned.
• This will only happen when the moving system is perfectly
balanced. When the instrument is connected to the load
circuit, current flows through the fixed coils FF and Moving
coils A and B, flux is set by the fixed coils and moving coils. 
• By the alignment of two fields, torque
develops i.e. the resultant field produced by
the moving coils tries to come in line with the
field produced by the fixed coils and torque
develops till both of them come in line with
each other.
• There are three extreme conditions in which
this instrument is connected in the circuit.
 When power factor of the circuit is unity

• Current is in phase with circuit voltage.

• The current flowing through potential coil A is

in phase with the voltage which is also in phase
with the current flowing through current
coil FF.
• At the same time, the current flowing through
potential coil B lags behind voltage as well as the
current flowing through current coil FF by 90o.
• Thus pressure coil A will experience a turning moment
so its plane will come in position a parallel to the plane
of the current coil FF.
• The torque acting on the pressure coil B is zero. Thus,
the pointer indicates unity power factor on the scale.
 When power factor of the circuit is zero
lagging
• In this case, current lags
behind the circuit
voltage by 90°.
• Therefore, the current
flowing through
pressure coil B will be in
phase with the current
in current coils FF, both
being lagging behind the
circuit voltage by 90°.
• The current flowing through pressure coil A will
lead the current in current coil FF by 90°.
• Thus a turning moment acts on the pressure
coil B and brings its plane parallel to the plane of
current coil FF and pointer indicates zero power
factor lagging.
 When power factor of the circuit is zero
leading
• In this case current leads the circuit voltage by
90o.
• Therefore, the current flowing through pressure
coil A lags the current in current coil FF by 90°
and the current flowing through pressure
coil B lags the current in current coil FF by 180°.
• Thus field produced by the moving system is
just reversed to that in the case (2).
• Thus an opposite turning moment acts on the
pressure coil B and brings its plane parallel to
the plane of current coil FF and pointer
indicates zero power factor leading.
Advantages of Electrodynamic Type Power Factor Meters
• Losses are less because of minimum use of iron parts and also
give less error over a small range of frequency as compared
to moving iron type instruments.
• They high torque is to weight ratio.
Disadvantages of Electrodynamic Type Power Factor Meters
• Working forces are small as compared to moving iron type
instruments.
• The scale is not extended over 360o.
• Calibration of electrodynamometer type instruments are
highly affected by the changing the supply voltage frequency.
• They are quite costly as compared to other instruments.
Torque Equation
Three Phase Electrodynamometer Power Factor Meter
The construction of the three phase meter is
shown in the figure
The electrodynamometer is only useful for the
balanced load.
The moving coil is placed at an angle of 120º.
They are connected across different phases of
the supply circuit. Both the coil has a series
resistance.
Rotating field moving iron PF meter
• The following are the
essential feature of the
rotating magnetic field.
• The power factor meter has
three fixed coils, and their
axes are 120º displaced from
each other.
• The axes are intersecting
each other.
• The coils are connected to
the three phase supply with
the help of the current
transformer.
• The P is the fixed coil
connected in series with the
high resistance circuit across
the phases 2 and 3.
• There is an iron cylinder across
coil P. The two iron vanes are
fixed to the cylinder. The
spindles also carry damping
vanes and pointer.
• The phasor diagram of the
power factor meter is shown
in the figure.
• The coil P and the iron cylinders generate the
alternating flux which interacts with the flux of
the fixed coils.
• The interaction of the coil generates the
moving system which determined the phase
angle of the current.
• The vanes of the power factor meter are
magnetized by the current of the moving coil
which is in phase with the system line voltage.
Advantages of Moving Iron power Power Factor
• The meter requires large working force as compared to the
electrodynamometer type meter.
• The coils of the moving iron instruments are fixed permanently.
• The range of the scale extends up to 360º.
• The construction of the meter is robust and simple.
• The moving iron instrument is cheap as compared to electrodynamic meter.

Disadvantages of moving iron instrument

• The loss occurs in the iron part of the meter. The losses depend on the load
and the frequency of the meter.
• The meter has low accuracy.
• The calibration of the meter is affected because of the variation in supply
frequencies, voltage and waveforms etc.
• The power factor meter is used for measuring the power factor of the
balanced load.
Alternating field type MI PF meter
• It consists of t moving
irons and vanes, which
are fixed to the common
spindle.
• The spindle carries the
damping vanes and the
pointer.
• The moving vanes are
sector shaped similar to
those rotating type MI
• The arcs of these sectors
have an angle of 120
degrees with respect to
each other.
• Q1,Q2, Q3 are the iron
sectors.
• These sectors are
magnetized by P1,P2,
P3.These are voltage coils.
• These coils are connected
across the three phases
• Current through them is
proportional to the phase
voltages of the three phase
system.
• The current coil is divided
into two equal parts F1 and
F2 parallel to each other.
• The current coil carries one
of the three line currents.
• One part F1 of the current
coil is is one side of the
moving system and other F2
on other side.