Power Factor Handbook
Power Factor Handbook
Power Factor Handbook
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5 Contributors
Consider a circuit for a single-phase AC power system, where a 120 volt, 60 Hz AC voltage
source is delivering power to a resistive load: (Figure 11.1)
120 V
R 60 Ω
60 Hz
353
354 CHAPTER 11. POWER FACTOR
ZR = 60 + j0 Ω or 60 Ω ∠ 0o
E
I=
Z
120 V
I=
60 Ω
I=2A
In this example, the current to the load would be 2 amps, RMS. The power dissipated at
the load would be 240 watts. Because this load is purely resistive (no reactance), the current
is in phase with the voltage, and calculations look similar to that in an equivalent DC circuit.
If we were to plot the voltage, current, and power waveforms for this circuit, it would look like
Figure 11.2.
e=
i=
p=
+
Time
Note that the waveform for power is always positive, never negative for this resistive circuit.
This means that power is always being dissipated by the resistive load, and never returned to
the source as it is with reactive loads. If the source were a mechanical generator, it would take
240 watts worth of mechanical energy (about 1/3 horsepower) to turn the shaft.
Also note that the waveform for power is not at the same frequency as the voltage or cur-
rent! Rather, its frequency is double that of either the voltage or current waveforms. This
different frequency prohibits our expression of power in an AC circuit using the same complex
(rectangular or polar) notation as used for voltage, current, and impedance, because this form
of mathematical symbolism implies unchanging phase relationships. When frequencies are
not the same, phase relationships constantly change.
As strange as it may seem, the best way to proceed with AC power calculations is to use
scalar notation, and to handle any relevant phase relationships with trigonometry.
For comparison, let’s consider a simple AC circuit with a purely reactive load in Figure 11.3.
11.1. POWER IN RESISTIVE AND REACTIVE AC CIRCUITS 355
120 V
60 Hz L 160 mH
XL = 60.319 Ω
E
I=
Z
120 V
I=
60.319 Ω
I = 1.989 A
e=
i=
+ p=
Time
Figure 11.4: Power is not dissipated in a purely reactive load. Though it is alternately absorbed
from and returned to the source.
Note that the power alternates equally between cycles of positive and negative. (Fig-
ure 11.4) This means that power is being alternately absorbed from and returned to the source.
If the source were a mechanical generator, it would take (practically) no net mechanical energy
to turn the shaft, because no power would be used by the load. The generator shaft would be
easy to spin, and the inductor would not become warm as a resistor would.
Now, let’s consider an AC circuit with a load consisting of both inductance and resistance
in Figure 11.5.
356 CHAPTER 11. POWER FACTOR
Load
Lload 160 mH
120 V
60 Hz
Rload 60 Ω
XL = 60.319 Ω
ZR = 60 + j0 Ω or 60 Ω ∠ 0o
E
I=
Z
120 V
I=
85.078 Ω
I = 1.410 A
At a frequency of 60 Hz, the 160 millihenrys of inductance gives us 60.319 Ω of inductive
reactance. This reactance combines with the 60 Ω of resistance to form a total load impedance
of 60 + j60.319 Ω, or 85.078 Ω 6 45.152o . If we’re not concerned with phase angles (which we’re
not at this point), we may calculate current in the circuit by taking the polar magnitude of
the voltage source (120 volts) and dividing it by the polar magnitude of the impedance (85.078
Ω). With a power supply voltage of 120 volts RMS, our load current is 1.410 amps. This is the
figure an RMS ammeter would indicate if connected in series with the resistor and inductor.
We already know that reactive components dissipate zero power, as they equally absorb
power from, and return power to, the rest of the circuit. Therefore, any inductive reactance in
this load will likewise dissipate zero power. The only thing left to dissipate power here is the
11.1. POWER IN RESISTIVE AND REACTIVE AC CIRCUITS 357
resistive portion of the load impedance. If we look at the waveform plot of voltage, current, and
total power for this circuit, we see how this combination works in Figure 11.6.
e=
+ i=
p=
Time
Figure 11.6: A combined resistive/reactive circuit dissipates more power than it returns to the
source. The reactance dissipates no power; though, the resistor does.
As with any reactive circuit, the power alternates between positive and negative instan-
taneous values over time. In a purely reactive circuit that alternation between positive and
negative power is equally divided, resulting in a net power dissipation of zero. However, in
circuits with mixed resistance and reactance like this one, the power waveform will still alter-
nate between positive and negative, but the amount of positive power will exceed the amount
of negative power. In other words, the combined inductive/resistive load will consume more
power than it returns back to the source.
Looking at the waveform plot for power, it should be evident that the wave spends more
time on the positive side of the center line than on the negative, indicating that there is more
power absorbed by the load than there is returned to the circuit. What little returning of power
that occurs is due to the reactance; the imbalance of positive versus negative power is due to
the resistance as it dissipates energy outside of the circuit (usually in the form of heat). If the
source were a mechanical generator, the amount of mechanical energy needed to turn the shaft
would be the amount of power averaged between the positive and negative power cycles.
Mathematically representing power in an AC circuit is a challenge, because the power wave
isn’t at the same frequency as voltage or current. Furthermore, the phase angle for power
means something quite different from the phase angle for either voltage or current. Whereas
the angle for voltage or current represents a relative shift in timing between two waves, the
phase angle for power represents a ratio between power dissipated and power returned. Be-
cause of this way in which AC power differs from AC voltage or current, it is actually easier to
arrive at figures for power by calculating with scalar quantities of voltage, current, resistance,
and reactance than it is to try to derive it from vector, or complex quantities of voltage, current,
and impedance that we’ve worked with so far.
• REVIEW:
• In a purely resistive circuit, all circuit power is dissipated by the resistor(s). Voltage and
current are in phase with each other.
• In a purely reactive circuit, no circuit power is dissipated by the load(s). Rather, power
is alternately absorbed from and returned to the AC source. Voltage and current are 90o
out of phase with each other.
358 CHAPTER 11. POWER FACTOR
• In a circuit consisting of resistance and reactance mixed, there will be more power dissi-
pated by the load(s) than returned, but some power will definitely be dissipated and some
will merely be absorbed and returned. Voltage and current in such a circuit will be out of
phase by a value somewhere between 0o and 90o .
We know that reactive loads such as inductors and capacitors dissipate zero power, yet the
fact that they drop voltage and draw current gives the deceptive impression that they actually
do dissipate power. This “phantom power” is called reactive power, and it is measured in a
unit called Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR), rather than watts. The mathematical symbol for reac-
tive power is (unfortunately) the capital letter Q. The actual amount of power being used, or
dissipated, in a circuit is called true power, and it is measured in watts (symbolized by the cap-
ital letter P, as always). The combination of reactive power and true power is called apparent
power, and it is the product of a circuit’s voltage and current, without reference to phase angle.
Apparent power is measured in the unit of Volt-Amps (VA) and is symbolized by the capital
letter S.
There are several power equations relating the three types of power to resistance, reactance,
and impedance (all using scalar quantities):
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E2
P = true power P = I2R P=
R
Measured in units of Watts
E2
Q = reactive power Q = I2X Q=
X
Measured in units of Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR)
E2
S = apparent power S = I2Z S= S = IE
Z
Measured in units of Volt-Amps (VA)
Please note that there are two equations each for the calculation of true and reactive power.
There are three equations available for the calculation of apparent power, P=IE being useful
only for that purpose. Examine the following circuits and see how these three types of power
interrelate for: a purely resistive load in Figure 11.7, a purely reactive load in Figure 11.8, and
a resistive/reactive load in Figure 11.9.
Resistive load only:
I=2A
120 V
no R 60 Ω
60 Hz reactance
Figure 11.7: True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a purely resistive load.
I = 1.989 A
no
120 V resistance 160 mH
60 Hz L
XL = 60.319 Ω
Figure 11.8: True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a purely reactive load.
Load
I = 1.410 A
Lload 160 mH
XL = 60.319 Ω
120 V
60 Hz
Rload 60 Ω
Figure 11.9: True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a resistive/reactive load.
11.3. CALCULATING POWER FACTOR 361
Impedance
phase angle
Figure 11.10: Power triangle relating appearant power to true power and reactive power.
• REVIEW:
• Power dissipated by a load is referred to as true power. True power is symbolized by the
letter P and is measured in the unit of Watts (W).
• Power merely absorbed and returned in load due to its reactive properties is referred to
as reactive power. Reactive power is symbolized by the letter Q and is measured in the
unit of Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR).
• These three types of power are trigonometrically related to one another. In a right trian-
gle, P = adjacent length, Q = opposite length, and S = hypotenuse length. The opposite
angle is equal to the circuit’s impedance (Z) phase angle.
hypotenuse sides of a right triangle, respectively, the power factor ratio is also equal to the
cosine of that phase angle. Using values from the last example circuit:
True power
Power factor =
Apparent power
119.365 W
Power factor =
169.256 VA
It should be noted that power factor, like all ratio measurements, is a unitless quantity.
For the purely resistive circuit, the power factor is 1 (perfect), because the reactive power
equals zero. Here, the power triangle would look like a horizontal line, because the opposite
(reactive power) side would have zero length.
For the purely inductive circuit, the power factor is zero, because true power equals zero.
Here, the power triangle would look like a vertical line, because the adjacent (true power) side
would have zero length.
The same could be said for a purely capacitive circuit. If there are no dissipative (resistive)
components in the circuit, then the true power must be equal to zero, making any power in
the circuit purely reactive. The power triangle for a purely capacitive circuit would again be a
vertical line (pointing down instead of up as it was for the purely inductive circuit).
Power factor can be an important aspect to consider in an AC circuit, because any power
factor less than 1 means that the circuit’s wiring has to carry more current than what would
be necessary with zero reactance in the circuit to deliver the same amount of (true) power to
the resistive load. If our last example circuit had been purely resistive, we would have been
able to deliver a full 169.256 watts to the load with the same 1.410 amps of current, rather
than the mere 119.365 watts that it is presently dissipating with that same current quantity.
The poor power factor makes for an inefficient power delivery system.
Poor power factor can be corrected, paradoxically, by adding another load to the circuit
drawing an equal and opposite amount of reactive power, to cancel out the effects of the load’s
inductive reactance. Inductive reactance can only be canceled by capacitive reactance, so we
have to add a capacitor in parallel to our example circuit as the additional load. The effect of
these two opposing reactances in parallel is to bring the circuit’s total impedance equal to its
total resistance (to make the impedance phase angle equal, or at least closer, to zero).
Since we know that the (uncorrected) reactive power is 119.998 VAR (inductive), we need to
calculate the correct capacitor size to produce the same quantity of (capacitive) reactive power.
Since this capacitor will be directly in parallel with the source (of known voltage), we’ll use the
power formula which starts from voltage and reactance:
11.3. CALCULATING POWER FACTOR 363
E2
Q=
X
. . . solving for X . . .
E2
X= 1
Q XC =
2πfC
(120 V)2
X= . . . solving for C . . .
119.998 VAR
1
C=
X = 120.002 Ω 2πfXC
1
C=
2π(60 Hz)(120.002 Ω)
C = 22.105 µF
Let’s use a rounded capacitor value of 22 µF and see what happens to our circuit: (Fig-
ure 11.11)
1 IC = Iload = 1.41 A
995.257
mA L 160 mH
V1 load
120 V XL = 60.319 Ω
60 Hz C 2
22 µF
3 Rload 60 Ω
V2
0
Figure 11.11: Parallel capacitor corrects lagging power factor of inductive load. V2 and node
numbers: 0, 1, 2, and 3 are SPICE related, and may be ignored for the moment.
364 CHAPTER 11. POWER FACTOR
119.365 W
Power factor =
119.366 VA
Figure 11.12: Zero phase angle due to in-phase Vtotal and Itotal . The lagging IL with respect to
Vtotal is corrected by a leading IC .
366 CHAPTER 11. POWER FACTOR
and IL . However, the leading capacitor current, IC , compensates for the lagging inductor cur-
rent. The result is a total current phase-angle somewhere between the inductor and capacitor
currents. Moreover, that total current (Itotal ) was forced to be in-phase with the total applied
voltage (Vtotal ), by the calculation of an appropriate capacitor value.
Since the total voltage and current are in phase, the product of these two waveforms, power,
will always be positive throughout a 60 Hz cycle, real power as in Figure 11.2. Had the phase-
angle not been corrected to zero (PF=1), the product would have been negative where positive
portions of one waveform overlapped negative portions of the other as in Figure 11.6. Negative
power is fed back to the generator. It cannot be sold; though, it does waste power in the
resistance of electric lines between load and generator. The parallel capacitor corrects this
problem.
Note that reduction of line losses applies to the lines from the generator to the point where
the power factor correction capacitor is applied. In other words, there is still circulating current
between the capacitor and the inductive load. This is not normally a problem because the
power factor correction is applied close to the offending load, like an induction motor.
It should be noted that too much capacitance in an AC circuit will result in a low power
factor just as well as too much inductance. You must be careful not to over-correct when adding
capacitance to an AC circuit. You must also be very careful to use the proper capacitors for the
job (rated adequately for power system voltages and the occasional voltage spike from lightning
strikes, for continuous AC service, and capable of handling the expected levels of current).
If a circuit is predominantly inductive, we say that its power factor is lagging (because the
current wave for the circuit lags behind the applied voltage wave). Conversely, if a circuit is
predominantly capacitive, we say that its power factor is leading. Thus, our example circuit
started out with a power factor of 0.705 lagging, and was corrected to a power factor of 0.999
lagging.
• REVIEW:
total current measurements). From the values of true and apparent power, you can deter-
mine reactive power and power factor. Let’s do an example problem to see how this works:
(Figure 11.13)
wattmeter ammeter
P A
240 V
Load
RMS
60 Hz
Figure 11.13: Wattmeter reads true power; product of voltmeter and ammeter readings yields
appearant power.
First, we need to calculate the apparent power in kVA. We can do this by multiplying load
voltage by load current:
S = IE
S = (9.615 A)(240 V)
S = 2.308 kVA
As we can see, 2.308 kVA is a much larger figure than 1.5 kW, which tells us that the power
factor in this circuit is rather poor (substantially less than 1). Now, we figure the power factor
of this load by dividing the true power by the apparent power:
P
Power factor =
S
1.5 kW
Power factor =
2.308 kVA
Figure 11.14: Reactive power may be calculated from true power and appearant power.
Q = 1.754 kVAR
If this load is an electric motor, or most any other industrial AC load, it will have a lagging
(inductive) power factor, which means that we’ll have to correct for it with a capacitor of appro-
priate size, wired in parallel. Now that we know the amount of reactive power (1.754 kVAR),
we can calculate the size of capacitor needed to counteract its effects:
11.4. PRACTICAL POWER FACTOR CORRECTION 369
E2
Q=
X
. . . solving for X . . .
E2
X= 1
Q XC =
2πfC
(240)2
X= . . . solving for C . . .
1.754 kVAR
1
C=
X = 32.845 Ω 2πfXC
1
C=
2π(60 Hz)(32.845 Ω)
C = 80.761 µF
Rounding this answer off to 80 µF, we can place that size of capacitor in the circuit and
calculate the results: (Figure 11.15)
wattmeter ammeter
P A
240 V
C Load
RMS 80 µF
60 Hz
1.737 kVAR
(capacitive)
The new apparent power can be found from the true and new reactive power values, using
the standard form of the Pythagorean Theorem:
11.5 Contributors
Contributors to this chapter are listed in chronological order of their contributions, from most
recent to first. See Appendix 2 (Contributor List) for dates and contact information.
Jason Starck (June 2000): HTML document formatting, which led to a much better-
looking second edition.
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