2/27/2015

What'scommonforBeerMugandPowerFactor?|EEP

WhatscommonforBeerMugandPowerFactor?

What'scommonforBeerMugandPowerFactor?

Understandingpowerfactorisnotthathard.Wehavesomeverycommonexamplefromthereal
lifeyouwillunderstandforsure,butfirstletsstartwithsomeintroductionofpowerfactor.
Tounderstandpowerfactor,wellfirststartwiththedefinitionofsomebasicterms:

kWisWorkingPower(alsocalledActualPowerorActivePowerorRealPower).Itisthepower
thatactuallypowerstheequipmentandperformsusefulwork.

kVARisReactivePower.Itisthepowerthatmagneticequipment(transformer,motor,relayetc.)
needstoproducethemagnetizingflux.

kVAisApparentPower.ItisthevectorialsummationofKVARandKW.

ExampleFromtheRealLife

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What'scommonforBeerMugandPowerFactor?|EEP

Ok,thesefolksmust'vebeenrunningsomeheavyreactivepowercompensation'causethere'snofoamP.F.=1)

Letslookatasimpleanalogyinordertobetterunderstandtheseterms.
Letssayitsfridayevening,andyouarewithyourfriendsatyourfavoritepubafterreallyhotday.
Youorderupabigmugofyourfavoritebeerforyouandforyourfriends.Thethirstquenching
portionofyourbeerisrepresentedbyKW(thebigpicontop).

Unfortunately,lifeisntperfect.Alongwithyouralecomesalittlebitoffoam.(And
letsfaceitthatfoamjustdoesntquenchyourthirst.)Thisfoamisrepresented
byKVAR.

Thetotalcontentsofyourmug,KVA,isthissummationofKW(thebeer)andKVAR(thefoam).
So,nowthatweunderstandsomebasicterms,wearereadytolearnaboutpowerfactor:
PowerFactor(P.F.)istheratioofWorkingPowertoApparentPower.

Lookingatourbeermuganalogyabove,powerfactorwouldbetheratioofbeer(KW)tobeerplus
foam(KVA).

Thus,foragivenKVA:
1. Themorefoamyouhave(thehigherthepercentageofKVAR),theloweryourratioofKW
(beer)toKVA(beerplusfoam).Thus,theloweryourpowerfactor.
2. Thelessfoamyouhave(thelowerthepercentageofKVAR),thehigheryourratioofKW
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What'scommonforBeerMugandPowerFactor?|EEP

(beer)toKVA(beerplusfoam).Infact,asyourfoam(orKVAR)approacheszero,your
powerfactorapproaches1.0.
Ourbeermuganalogyisabitsimplistic.Inreality,whenwecalculateKVA,wemustdeterminethe
vectorialsummationofKVARandKW.Therefore,wemustgoonestepfurtherandlookatthe
anglebetweenthesevectors.

PowerTriangle
ThePowerTriangleillustratesthisrelationshipbetweenKW,KVA,KVAR,andPowerFactor:

Notethatinanidealworldlookingatthebeermuganalogy:
1. KVARwouldbeverysmall(foamwouldbeapproachingzero)
2. KWandKVAwouldbealmostequal(morebeerlessfoam)

Therearedosenoftoolsandtechnicalarticles/guidespublishedatEEPthatcanhelpyouto
understandpowerfactoranditscontrolling.Hopethesecanhelp:
PowerFactorCorrectionCalculation(MSExcelSpreadsheet)
SizeofCapacitorForPowerFactorImprovements
HowPowerFactorCorectionWorks
CapacitorBanksInPowerSystem
Economicadvantagesofpowerfactorcorrection

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Resource:powerstudies.com

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