Energy savings and power quality:

Complement or contrast?
Speaker : Dr. John Cheng

Energy efficiency with

Power & Automation
What I will explain during this seminar:

● Energy savings vs. power quality – focusing on power factor and

harmonic phenomena

● Revisit the commonly known power factor definition and its revolution
due to harmonic

● Explain the resultant of harmonic and capacitor (resonance

phenomena); and how Schneider Electric can help to resolve them

“Energy Efficiency with Power and Automation”

Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 2
Lifecycle solutions for Energy Efficiency

Energy Audit
Measure
Benchmark
Find opportunities

Fix the basics Optimize through Monitor Maintain

Low energy automation and Control Improve
consumption regulation Meters installation
devices, HVAC control, Monitoring services
Thermal insulation lighting control, EE analysis software
Power quality and variable speed
reliability drives…

Passive
Energy Efficiency
Active
Energy Efficiency

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 3
Control and monitoring technologies will
sustain the savings

100%

• Up to 12% savings is lost without

monitor, control, maintain and
improvement programs

70%
Optimized usage
Efficient devices
and installation

via automation
Consumption

Monitoring & Maintenance

Energy

Time

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 4
Energy savings vs. power quality - PFC

● When implement energy savings equipment, please be caution about

power quality issues

● Two typical energy savings equipment that have relationship with power
quality issues:
● VSD and harmonics
● Power factor correction and harmonic resonance

● These relationship should not hinder the implementation of energy

savings equipment, but implement with caution (i.e. fix the basics)

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Power factor definition – Linear system

● What does it mean by linear load?

● No power-electronic devices.
● Only consists of inductive, resistive and capacitive loads
● Does not modify the conventional sinewave waveform of V and I

● Power factor is the displacement angle between voltage and current

● Leading or lagging power factor is depending on the type of loads

Φ
800
600
400
200
0
-200
-400
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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 6
-800
Power factor definition – Linear system

kVAR
Reactive Power

kW
Active Power
kVA
Apparent Power

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Power factor definition – Nonlinear
system

● What does it mean by nonlinear load?

● Mostly generated by power-electronic devices
● Modify the conventional sinewave waveform I, and hence V
● Typical nonlinear loads – DC/AC Drives, UPS, DC power supply, electronic
equipment, etc

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Power factor definition – Nonlinear
system

Power factor in
system with linear
loads only

S = kVA
Q = kVAr
(Apparent Power)
(Reactive Power)
Power factor component in
system with harmonics
(linear + nonlinear loads)
θTPF D = kVAH
(Distortion Power)
(True/Total Power Factor)
P = kW
(Real Power)

“Energy Efficiency with Power and Automation”

Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 9
Power factor components – Nonlinear
system
S (kVA) = P 2 + Q 2 + D 2
S = kVA
Q = kVAr
(Apparent Power)
(Reactive Power)
= Vrms I rms
∞
= ∑V
k =1
2
I 2
k rms k rms

θTPF D = kVAH
(True/Total Power Factor)
(Distortion Power) = V1rms I1rms 1 + THDV2 1 + THDI2
P = kW
(Real Power) = S1 1 + THDV2 1 + THDI2

Displacement Power Factor kW

(Fundamental Components): cos θ dispPF =
S1

Distortion Power Factor

1
cosθ distPF =
(Harmonic Components): 1 + THDV2 1 + THDI2

True/Total Power Factor : cosθ TPF = cosθ dispPF ⋅ cosθ distPF

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Why improve power factor?

● Most utility bills are based on real power demand (kW)

● Yet, utilities must install facilities to deliver total power (kVA)

● When pf is improved, it will…

● Reduce electric bill (penalties) if applicable
● Release system capacity
● Reduce i2R losses
● Improve voltage regulation

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Why improve power factor?

● According to IEEE Standard 1036-1992…

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Why improve power factor?
- Reduce electric bill (Penalties)

● You can reduce the electric bill if the charges has the following
component:
● kVAh
● kVARh A
● Power factor (pf) kV 400 kVAR
000 600 kVAR
1
pf = 0.80 825 kVA
200 kVAR

pf = 0.97 800 kW

Plant A Plant B
Unit (kVAh) 100000 82500
Rate ($) 0.208 0.208
Amount $ 20,800 $ 17,160
Savings/month $ 3,640

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 13
Why improve power factor?
- Release system capacity

● Capacitors can off-load transformers and cables

● Reduce current

kW kVAR
100 100 kW
100 kVAR kW
100
75

kVA = 143 kVA = 125 kVA = 100

pf = 70% pf = 80% pf = 100%

“Energy Efficiency with Power and Automation”

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 Why improve power factor?
- Release system capacity

● Example:
● Plant A & B consume same real power, but different power factor

Volts kVA kW kVAR pf Requires

Plant A 6 MVA
415 4506 4185 1670 0.925 transformer

Unequal Total Demand Equal Demand

Volts kVA kW kVAR pf Requires

Plant B 8 MVA
415 6079 4185 4408 0.689 transformer

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 15
Why improve power factor?
- Release system capacity

● Reduce current drawn from the source

S = 3Vrms I rms

Volts kVA kW kVAR pf Amps

Plant A
415 4506 4185 1670 0.925 6269

Volts kVA kW kVAR pf Amps

Plant B
415 6079 4185 4408 0.689 8457

26% System capacity released

by improving your power factor!
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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 16
Why improve power factor?
- Release system capacity

PFold
kVArelease = 1−
PFnew

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 17
Why improve power factor?
- Reduce i2R losses
Real current component
Reactive current component

Poor PF
Source load
Xfmr 2

3
Xfmr 1
2
1

No Capacitor in system

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Why improve power factor?
- Reduce i2R losses
Real current component
Reactive current component

Poor PF
Source load
Xfmr 2

3
Xfmr 1
2
1
Capacitor

Capacitor at facility source, relieves utility but does not reduce i2R losses

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 19
Why improve power factor?
- Reduce i2R losses
Real current component
Reactive current component

Poor PF
Source load
Xfmr 2

3
Xfmr 1
2 Capacitor
1

Capacitor at location 2, relieves utility and xfmr 1.

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 20
 Why improve power factor?
- Reduce i2R losses
Real current component
Reactive current component

Poor PF
Source load
Xfmr 2

3 Capacitor
Xfmr 1
2
1

Capacitor at location 3, relieves utility and both xfmrs and i2R losses in facility.

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 21
Why improve power factor?
- Reduce i2R losses

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Why improve power factor?
- Improve voltage regulation

● When capacitors are added, voltage will increase

● Severe over-correction (pf >1) – leading power factor will cause a

voltage rise that can damage insulation & equipment; or result in utility
surcharges!
● Usually a result of large fixed capacitors at mains
!

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Why improve power factor?
- Improve voltage regulation

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Which pf to compensate?

● When installing capacitor bank to improve displacement pf, the

distortion pf will not be improved

● Pure capacitor will not correct the harmonics distortion (distortion pf).
● E.g. Disp. PF = 1, Dist PF = 0.7 lag, True PF = 0.7 lag

● To improve True/Total PF, it requires compensation of harmonic

distortion in the network

800
Φ 800
Φ
600 600
400 400
200 200
0 0
-200 -200
-400 -400
-600 -600
-800 -800
Before Adding a capacitor After Adding a capacitor
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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 25
Harmonic and resonance

● REMEMBER! Adding a pure capacitor into a harmonic polluted network could

cause harmonic resonance

● What is harmonic resonance?

● Nonlinear loads cause harmonic currents
● Inductive reactance increases as capacitive reactance decreases as the frequency or
harmonic order increases
● Crossover point exists where inductive and capacitive reactance are equal - Parallel
resonance
● Resonance occurs when Xc = XL
● Harmonic resonance is when harmonics exist at the frequency where impedances
match

● Sign of Resonance:
● Overheating
● Capacitor failure
● Increase of THDv

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Estimating the parallel resonance
Impedance vs. Frequency for 1000 kVA Transformer System

0.4
Resonance Points 350 kVAr
0.3
700 kVAr
Z 0.2 No Capacitors
(Ohms)

0.1

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Frequency (Hertz)

System Impedance As A Function of Frequency

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 27
Schneider Electric solution (PFC)

● Don’t confuse with tuned and detuned PFC, but both PFC’s activation
based on displacement power factor

● Detuned Power Factor Correction (PFC)

● Detuned tuning point is typically outside -8% of target harmonic order (e.g.
3.8th – 4.2nd order)
● a.k.a. Anti-Resonant PFC
● Primary function: PFC
● Secondary function: Harmonic filtering (side-effect) – Not that effective

● Tuned/Passive harmonic filter PFC

● Tuned tuning point is typically within -8% of target harmonic order (e.g. 4.5th
– 4.9th order)
● Cannot fully compensate the according to harmonic

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 28
Schneider Electric solution (AHF)

● AccuSine
● Active harmonic filtering
● Resonance Elimination
● More than just a harmonic filter:
●Instantaneous Power Factor Correction
●Dynamic VAR compensation- AccuSine is able to inject peak
current at two and a quarter times its rms current rating for up to
3 cycles. For many high current in-rush applications this level of
compensation eliminates visible flicker and voltage sags.
HVC Load Tracking

400
Reactive Power (kVAR)

200
0
1

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

25

27

29

31
33

35

37
-200
-400
-600
-800
Time (cycles)
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Passive Output (kVAR) AccuSine EVC Output (kVAR)
Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 29
Load (kVAR) Net System (kVAR)
Main conclusion (Fix the basics)

● When implementing energy savings equipment, be caution about the

impact on power quality

● Avoid resonance at all times when implementing power factor

correction

● Schneider Electric offers services and solutions to help you to save

energy, understand and compensate the power quality issues

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 30
Questions ?

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Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008 31
Helping you make the most
of your energy!

Speaker : Dr. John Cheng

Email : john.cheng@sg.schneider-electric.com
Contact number : 6485 5187

“Energy Efficiency with Power and Automation”

Schneider Electric Inspiration 2008