Power Factor Correction Services
In an era where lean manufacturing has been the industry credo, lowering energy costs has become increasingly vital. It’s not just an issue of managing usage; it’s also a matter of how the utility bills that consumption. This is where the power factor comes into play. An electrical system’s power factor is the ratio of real to apparent power. The lower the power factor, the higher the current draw. Higher current demands bigger wires and a more durable infrastructure to reduce power dissipation. Facilities with poor power factors are charged a higher rate since this increases utility expenditures.
The efficiency of an electrical system is measured by Power Factor Correction Services. True Power Factor Correction Services are known by the phrases displacement power factor and total harmonic distortion. The displacement power factor is often used, but it only applies to a subset of linear loads. Due to the nonlinear nature of driveshafts and changing frequency drives, the rationale no longer applies.
In order for a machine to work, it needs to be supplied with energy. More electricity is required to power electric motors than appears to be useful work at the motor shaft. The necessary magnetic field requires a certain amount of electricity to sustain, but no beneficial work is created. This factor is called reactive power. Customers with high reactive power demands will be charged an additional fee. Utility companies will give a limited quantity of reactive power free of charge.
The power factor can potentially be anywhere between 0 and 100%, with 100% giving all of the power as active power. At 0%, all power is reactive power; motors would not operate and there would be no useful work to do. The entire KVA (total power) demand must be met by electric utility providers. Because a client only obtains useful work from the KW (usable) portion, a high power factor is important.
The Power Factor Correction method is used to maximize the amount of active power delivered by an electrical system. By boosting energy efficiency and lowering electricity usage throughout your power system, power factor correction provides considerable cost savings and environmental benefits.
Advantages of using Power Factor Correction services:
- Demand Charges and Energy Consumption are Lower
Several industries provide energy charges for maximum metered demand based on either the highest registered demand in kilowatts (KW metre) or a percentage of the highest registered demand in KVA (KVA metre), whichever is greater. The measured KVA percentage will be much higher than the KW demand if the power factor is low. By reducing the demand charge through power factor correction, you can save money on your energy bill.
- Circuits with increased current load transferring capacity
Reactive current is also required by loads that require reactive power. The current conducted by each circuit is reduced when power factor correction capacitors are installed near inductive loads at the endpoints of existing circuits. When more capacity is needed for new gear or equipment, increased power factors may allow the circuit to carry new loads, saving your organisation thousands of dollars in unneeded upgrade expenses. Additionally, the reduced circulating current reduces circuit resistive deficiencies.
- Voltage drop in systems is reduced.
A lower power factor results in more current flow for a given load. As the line current increases, the voltage drop in the wire increases, potentially resulting in a lower voltage at the equipment. An improved power factor reduces the voltage drop in the conductor, which improves the voltage at the equipment.
- Power system losses are reduced.
Even while the benefit of lower conductor loss is rarely enough to justify the installation of capacitors, it can be a compelling extra benefit in ageing reactors with long distribution lines or in field pumping activities. System conductor losses are roughly equivalent to current squared, and losses are inversely related to power factor squared since current reduces in direct proportion to power factor improvement.
- Reduce carbon footprints to the greatest extent possible.
Your company’s carbon footprint is reduced by lowering the demand charge on your power system through power factor correction. The electrical load is reduced as a result. Because of an increase in the electrical efficiency of your power system via power factor correction, this lower demand on the electricity grid can account for hundreds of tonnes of reduced carbon production over time.
For more than two decades, SASPPL has provided impartial Power Factor Correction Services. In fact, it has collaborated with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to help them analyse the impact of overcorrection in their system following the implementation of kVAh billing in Maharashtra. SASPPL also played a key role in presenting the results to the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), as evidenced by the MREC Tariff petition order of 2018.
