Electrical Academia   Menu

Home » Electric Power » Per Unit Calculation | Per Unit System Examples

Per Unit Calculation | Per Unit System Examples

The per unit (PU or P.U.) method of calculation is often used as an aid in the analysis of electrical systems that
operate at different voltage levels. The determination of per unit values is not the end objective of a study.
Rather determined per unit values serve to assist in the calculation of other system values. More specifically, the
per unit method of calculation is often used in the calculation of short circuit currents.

The PU system of calculations was more prevalent in the past years. However, the availability of computer
programs for system analysis has diminished to some extent the need for the PU system of calculations.
Nevertheless, a person involved with three-phase electrical power would be well advised to understand the PU
method, its mechanics, and how it is used.

The per unit method uses what are called base values. Selected values of parameters are compared to
selected base values and assigned per unit values. The PU numbers become unitless.

A PU value can readily be converted back to a voltage, power, or any other value as long as the base value is
known. Although the PU system could most likely be used for systems other than electrical systems, it is
probably used mostly with electrical values.

The PU system deals primarily with values of power, voltage, current, and impedance. Any two variables are
selected to be base values. The selection of two base values then fixes the other values. A per unit quantity
then becomes the ratio of a selected parameter to a selected base value. Basically,

Per Unit = (Present value) ÷ (base value)

Per Unit values are sometimes expressed as a percentage rather than a ratio. For example, if the base value of
voltage had been selected as 13,800 V and the present value is 11,000 V, the value of voltage per unit is

VPU = 11,000 ÷ 13,800 = 0.797 PU, or

VPU = 0.797 (100) = 79.7% PU

Often, nameplate values are taken as base values but this need not be the case. Some basic relationships
follow and are different for single-phase systems and three-phase systems.
Single Phase Per Unit System

Typically,

Pbase = 1 PU

Vbase = 1 PU

Let,

Qbase = reactive power

Sbase = apparent power

The remainder of the values may be derived from the normal relationships

S  =  I V

P   =  S cos φ

Q  =  S sin φ

V   =  I ⋅ Z

Z  =  R  +  jX

Sbase
Ibase   =
Vbase

2
Vbase V
base
 Zbase   =   =
Ibase Sbase

1
Ybase   =  
Zbase

Three Phase Per Unit System

In three-phase circuits, some relationships are defined differently from those used in single-phase circuits.
Specifically, for three-phase systems,

Sbase = √3Vbase . Ibase

Sbase
Ibase =
Vbase × √3

2
Vbase V
base
Zbase = =
Ibase × √3 Sbase

1
Ybase =
Zbase
In general, the per unit values are determined as

V
Vpu =
Vbase

I
Ipu =
Ibase

S
Spu =
Sbase

P
Ppu =
Pbase

Z
Zpu =
Zbase

Y
Ypu =
Ybase

To change base values, the following expression is used:

2
Sbase−new Vbase−old
Zpu−new = Zpu−old × ( )( )
Sbase−old Vbase−new

Per Unit System Example of Three Phase System

Consider a three-phase transformer with a rating of 700 MVA and a secondary voltage of 145 kV. Determine
Ibase, Zbase, and Ybase.

There is no obligation to choose the transformer’s ratings as the base values, but it is an option.

Using the transformer’s rated values of apparent power and secondary voltage,

Sbase = 700 MVA

Vbase = 145 kV

The corresponding values of Ibase, Zbase, and Ybase are readily determined.

Sbase 700M V A
Ibase = = = 2.78kA
Vbase × √3 145kV × √3

Vbase 145kV
Zbase = = = 30.1Ω
Ibase × √3 2.78kA × √3

1
Ybase = = 0.0332S
30.1

If, say, a secondary voltage of 130 kV is under consideration, then the per unit value of that voltage is
 V 130kV
V = = = 0.89pu
Vbase 145kV

Per Unit System Example 2

The single-line diagram of a three-phase system is shown in Fig. 1. Using the common base Sb = 50 MVA, draw
the impedance diagram in per unit including the load impedance. The manufacturer’s nominal ratings are given
as follows:

FIGURE 1 Single-line diagram of Example 1.

The three-phase load at bus 4 absorbs 60 MVA at 0.75 power factor (lagging), and lines 1, 2, and 3 have the
reactance of 40Ω, 32 Ω, and 30Ω, respectively.

Solution The system of Fig. 1 can be subdivided into different sections with different voltage levels determined
by the transformer turns ratios. A common power base of Sb = 50M V A is chosen for the system, but the
voltage bases are selected separately for each voltage level:

Voltage base for buses 1, 2, and 3:Vb (1) = Vb (2) = Vb (3) = 110kV

Voltage base for bus 4: Vb (4) = 11kV

Per-unit reactances of the generators and transformers are

50
G1 : XG1 = 0.2 × = 0.0208pu
48

50
G2 : XG2 = 0.15 × = 0.3pu
25

50
T1 : XT 1 = 0.08 × = 0.08pu
50

50
T2 : XT 2 = 0.6 × = 0.1pu
30

50
T3 : XT 3 = 0.1 × = 0.1pu
50

The impedance bases for lines 1, 2, and 3 are

2
(110)
Zb(L1) = Zb(L2) = Zb(L3) = = 242Ω
50

The per-unit reactances of lines 1, 2, and 3 are

40
L1 : XL1 = = 0.165pu
242

32
L2 : XL2 = = 0.132pu
242

30
L3 : XL3 = = 0.124pu
242

The power factor of the load is cos lagging; thus, the complex power of the load is
cos φ = 0.75

M V A . Hence, the load impedance in Ω is

−1 o
SL = 60∠cos 0.75 = 60∠41.41

2 2 2
V 11 11
o
ZLoad = = = = 2.02∠ − 41.41 = 1.515 + j1.336Ω
∗ o ∗ o
S (60∠41.41 ) 60∠ − 41.41
L

The base impedance for the load is

2
11
Zb(bus4) = = 2.42Ω
50

The per-unit load impedance is

1.515 + j1.336
ZLoad = = 0.626 + j0.552pu
2.42

The impedance diagram of the system with all reactances in PU is plotted in Fig. 2.
 FIGURE 2 Per-phase equivalent impedance diagram for the system shown in Fig. 1.

For either a single-phase system or a three-phase system, the per units become

V
Vpu =
Vbase

I
Ipu =
Ibase

S
Spu =
Sbase

Z
Zpu =
Zbase

In all of these expressions, the numerator is a complex vector, whereas the denominator is a real number. For
base values, a value of Sbase = 50 or 100 MVA is often selected. For in-house electrical systems, a base of
Sbase = 10 MVA is more suitable as the VA values are generally smaller than the VA of overland transmission
lines. For transmission lines, 100 MVA is often used. Nevertheless, any value of S may be used.

Advantages of PU System

There are many advantages to use the per-unit system in power network engineering as such representation
results in more correlated and meaningful data. Some of these advantages are highlighted as follows:

1. Manufacturers usually provide equipment data with nameplate rating as a base.

2. The range for acceptable % or p.u. values can be easily fixed.
3. Especially useful in networks with multiple voltage levels interconnected through transformers.
4. PU impedance of the transformer is independent of the kV base.
5. Standard base conversion (scaling with MVA Base) formulae are available.
6. While the actual values of the impedances of power system equipment, expressed in ohms, may vary
over a wide range, depending on their rating, their per-unit values are restricted to a narrow range
whatever the rating may be.
 7. Per-unit impedances of transformers are the same whether they are referred to the primary or secondary
side, which makes calculations much simpler in multiple voltage level power systems.
8. In equations to calculate power and voltage in three-phase systems, the factors √3 and 3 are eliminated
using the PU system. This way, there is less chance of confusing line and phase voltages as well as
between single- and three-phase power systems.
9. The PU system is very useful for computer-performed calculations concerning steady-state and dynamic
analysis.

Per Unit System Summary

Modern power systems comprise several transmission lines interconnected in subsystems of different voltage
levels through various step-up or step-down transformers. However, this makes it difficult to figure out the
various voltage and power levels at different points in the network. To overcome this problem, all the system
quantities are converted into a uniform normalized platform called per-unit.

The per-unit representation of physical values consists in expressing these values as fractions or percentages
of some representative bases of the same physical nature. In a per-unit system, each system variable or
quantity is normalized with respect to its own base value:

Xactual
Xpu =
Xbase

Or

Xactual
Xpu = × 100
Xbase

Four base quantities, namely power, voltage, current, and impedance, are necessary for the full description of
a per-unit system. However, because they are interrelated, selecting base values for any two of them
determines the base values of the remaining two. Usually, power, Sb, and voltage, Vb, are chosen as base
values for computing the current, Ib, and impedance, Zb, bases:

Sb(3φ)
Ib =
√3Vb(L−L)

2
(Vb(L−L)  in kV)
Zb =
Sb(3φ)  in MVA

Generally, Sb(3Φ) is the three-phase apparent power base, which is the same for the entire network. Vb(L-L) is
the line-to-line base voltage, which is not constant for the entire network. It is a factor of the transformer ratios.
The nominal characteristics (ratings) of power transmission equipment, for example, generators and
transformers, are provided by manufacturers in percent or per-unit quantities based on their own ratings. It is
often convenient to express these values in a common system basis.
 Electricity Tariffs Explained | Residential and Industrial Tariff
 Grounding Electrical System | Purpose of Grounding Electrical Systems

More posts from this section

Three Phase Delta Connection:...

Three Phase Star Connection (Y...
Double Subscript Notation in S...
Smart Grid Technology and Appl...
Difference between Traditional...
Solar PV System Sizing: Step B...
Load Profile Calculation | Sol...
Harmonics in Power System
Where do harmonics come from |...
Uninterruptible Power Supply (...

About Disclaimer Terms of Service Privacy Policy Contact Us