True, Reactive, and Apparent Power

Power Factor
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 reactive 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 capital 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.

As a rule, true power is a function of a circuit’s dissipative elements, usually resistances

(R). Reactive power is a function of a circuit’s reactance (X). Apparent power is a function
of a circuit’s total impedance (Z). Since we’re dealing with scalar quantities for power
calculation, any complex starting quantities such as voltage, current, and impedance must
be represented by their polar magnitudes, not by real or imaginary rectangular
components. For instance, if I’m calculating true power from current and resistance, I must
use the polar magnitude for current, and not merely the “real” or “imaginary” portion of the
current. If I’m calculating apparent power from voltage and impedance, both of these
formerly complex quantities must be reduced to their polar magnitudes for the scalar
arithmetic.

There are several power equations relating the three types of power to resistance,
reactance, and impedance (all using scalar quantities):
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 Figurebelow,
a purely reactive load in Figure below,
and a resistive/reactive load in Figure below.

Resistive load only:

True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a purely resistive load.

Reactive load only:

True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a purely reactive load.

Resistive/reactive load:

True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a resistive/reactive load.

These three types of power—true, reactive, and apparent—relate to one another in

trigonometric form. We call this the power triangle: (Figure below).
Power triangle relating appearant power to true power and reactive power.

Using the laws of trigonometry, we can solve for the length of any side (amount of any
type of power), given the lengths of the other two sides, or the length of one side and an
angle.

 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).
 Total power in an AC circuit, both dissipated and absorbed/returned is referred to
as apparent power. Apparent power is symbolized by the letter S and is measured in
the unit of Volt-Amps (VA).
 These three types of power are trigonometrically related to one another. In a right
triangle, P = adjacent length, Q = opposite length, and S = hypotenuse length. The
opposite angle is equal to the circuit’s impedance (Z) phase angle.
What is real, reactive and apparent power?
.

"Active" power is power that does actual work - e.g: creating heat, lifting loads, etc.

"Reactive power" is power where the current is out of phase with the voltage, and the "Volts x
amps" doesn't do any real work.  Current that charges a capacitor, for example or current that
creates the magnetic field around a coil for another.  

"Apparent power" is the mathematical combination of these two.

The best representation is a vector diagram, where "Active" power is represented by the positive
X-axis, and reactive power is represented by the Y-axis.  Inductive power - the current involved in
creating and maintaining an electromagnetic field around a winding - can be represented by the
positive Y-axis.  Capacitive power can be represented by the negative Y-axis.  Obviously those two
will cancel each other somewhat, leaving a vector that is either positive or negative on the Y-
axis.  

Take, for example, a large three-phase induction motor.  A small but not insignificant amount of
current is necessary to magnetize the windings of the motor.  Its capacitive component is
negligible.  This current does not contribute to the production of shaft torque, and can be
represented by current on the positive Y-axis we'll call Q.  The portion of the current that does
actual work can be represented by the positive X-axis we'll call P.  This produces a vector sum
with a value of Sqrt(P²+Q²) as shown below:

CosΦ is the power factor, which for a three-phase induction motor is generally on the order of 0.8
to 0.9.  In order to reduce Φ and improve power factor, quite often capacitors are added to the
motor circuit.  The function of these capacitors is to provide the magnetizing current, thus
reducing the amplitude of the reactive power Q.  Remember, inductive power is positive Y-axis,
capacitive power is negative Y-axis.  The lower the angle of Φ, the closer the apparent power is to
the active power.  In actuality, once the motor magnetic field is established, the current required
to sustain it circulates through the added capacitors and is not drawn from the utility.

The generating utility cares about the apparent power because whether the current being drawn
is producing useful work or not, the utility has to be able to provide that many amps.  The better
the power factor, the lower the total amp draw.
Active, Reactive, Apparent and Complex Power. Simple explanation with formulas.

(1) Real Power: (P)

 Alternative words used for Real Power (Actual Power, True Power, Watt-full Power, Useful
Power, Real Power, and Active Power)

In a DC Circuit, power supply to the DC load is simply the product of Voltage across the load
and Current flowing through it i.e., P = V I. because in DC Circuits, there is no concept of
phase angle between current and voltage. In other words, there is no Power factor in DC
Circuits.

But the situation is Sinusoidal or AC Circuits is more complex because of phase difference
between Current and Voltage. Therefore average value of power (Real Power) is P = VI
Cosθ is in fact supplied to the load.

In AC circuits, When circuit is pure resistive, then the same formula used for power as used
in DC as P = V I. 

You may also read about Power Formulas in DC, AC Single Phase and and AC Three
Phase Circuits.

Real Power formulas:

P = V I                                  (In DC circuits)

P = VI Cosθ                          (in Single phase AC Circuits)

P = √3 VL IL Cosθ         or     (in Three Phase AC Circuits)

P = 3 VPh IPh Cosθ 

P = √ (S2 – Q2)or

P =√ (VA2 – VAR2) or  

Real or True power = √ (Apparent Power2– Reactive Power2) or

kW = √ (kVA2 – kVAR2)

(2) Reactive Power: (Q)  

Also known as (Use-less Power, Watt less Power)

The powers that continuously bounce back and forth between source and load is known as
reactive Power (Q)

Power merely absorbed and returned in load due to its reactive properties is referred to
as reactive power
The unit of Active or Real power is Watt where 1W = 1V x 1 A.

Reactive power represent that the energy is first stored and then released in the form of
magnetic field or electrostatic field in case of inductor and capacitor respectively.

Reactive power is given by Q = V I Sinθ which can be positive (+ve) for inductive, negative (-
Ve) for capacitive load.

The unit of reactive power is Volt-Ampere reactive. I.e. VAR where 1 VAR = 1V x 1A.

In more simple words, in Inductor or Capacitor, how much magnetic or electric field made by
1A x 1V is called the unit of reactive power.

Reactive power formulas:

Q = V I Sinθ

Reactive Power=√ (Apparent Power2– True power2)

VAR =√ (VA2 – P2)

kVAR = √ (kVA2 – kW2)

(3) Apparent Power: (S)

The product of voltage and current if and only if the phase angle differences between current
and voltage are ignored.

Total power in an AC circuit, both dissipated and absorbed/returned is referred to as

apparent power

The combination of reactive power and true power is called apparent power

In an AC circuit, the product of the r.m.s voltage and the r.m.s current is called apparent
power.

It is the product of Voltage and Current without phase angle

The unit of Apparent power (S) VA i.e. 1VA = 1V x 1A.

When the circuit is pure resistive, then apparent power is equal to real or true power, but in
inductive or capacitive circuit, (when Reactances exist) then apparent power is greater than
real or true power. 

Apparent power formulas:

S=VI

Apparent Power = √ (True power2 + Reactive Power2)

kVA = √kW2 + kVAR2

AlsoNote that;

Resistor absorbs the real power and dissipates in the form of heat and light.

Inductor absorbs the reactive power and dissipates in the form of magnetic field

Capacitor absorbs the reactive power and dissipates in the form of electric or electrostatic
filed

∴ These all quantities trigonometrically related to each other as shown in below

figure.
Click image to enlarge

For more Clearance and explanation., i used Lays Chips  and Beer Analogy for Real or True
Power, Reactive Power , Apparent power and power factor 
Lays Chips  Analogy of Real or True Power, Reactive Power, Apparent power & power
factor
     Beer Analogy of Active or True power, Reactive power, Apparent Power and Power
factor. 
Active, reactive, and apparent power

In a simple alternating current (AC) circuit consisting of a source and a linear load, both the
current and voltage are sinusoidal. If the load is purely resistive, the two quantities reverse their
polarity at the same time. At every instant the product of voltage and current is positive or zero,
with the result that the direction of energy flow does not reverse. In this case, only active power is
transferred.

If the loads are purely reactive, then the voltage and current are 90 degrees out of phase. For
half of each cycle, the product of voltage and current is positive, but on the other half of the cycle,
the product is negative, indicating that on average, exactly as much energy flows toward the load
as flows back. There is no net energy flow over one cycle. In this case, only reactive power flows
—there is no net transfer of energy to the load.

Practical loads have resistance, inductance, and capacitance, so both active and reactive power
will flow to real loads. Power engineers measure apparent power as the magnitude of the vector
sum of active and reactive power. Apparent power is the product of the root-mean-square of
voltage and current.

Electrical engineers have to take apparent power into account when designing and operating
power systems, because even though the current associated with reactive power does no work
at the load, it heats the conductors and wastes energy. Conductors, transformers and generators
must be sized to carry the total current, not just the current that does useful work.

Another consequence is that adding the apparent power of two loads will not accurately result in
the total apparent power unless the two circuits have the same displacement between current
and voltage (the same power factor).

Conventionally, capacitors are considered to generate reactive power and inductors to consume
it. If a capacitor and an inductor are placed in parallel, then the currents flowing through the
inductor and the capacitor tend to cancel rather than add. This is the fundamental mechanism for
controlling the power factor in electric power transmission; capacitors (or inductors) are inserted
in a circuit to partially compensate reactive power 'consumed' by the load.

Failure to provide for the supply of sufficient reactive power in electrical grids can lead to lowered
voltage levels and under certain operating conditions to the complete collapse of the network
or blackout.
The complex power is the vector sum of active and reactive power. The apparent power is the magnitude
of the complex power.
  Active power, P
  Reactive power, Q
  Complex power, S
  Apparent power, |S|
  Phase of current, φ

Engineers use the following terms to describe energy flow in a system (and assign each of them
a different unit to differentiate between them):

 Active power,[1] P, or real power:[2] watt (W)

 Reactive power, Q: volt-ampere reactive (var)
 Complex power, S: volt-ampere (VA)
 Apparent power, |S|: the magnitude of complex power S: volt-ampere (VA)
 Phase of voltage relative to current, φ: the angle of difference (in degrees) between
current and voltage; current lagging voltage (quadrant I vector), current leading voltage
(quadrant IV vector)

In the diagram, P is the active power, Q is the reactive power (in this case positive), S is the
complex power and the length of S is the apparent power. Reactive power does not do any work,
so it is represented as the imaginary axis of the vector diagram. Active power does do work, so
it is the real axis.

The unit for all forms of power is the watt (symbol: W), but this unit is generally reserved for
active power. Apparent power is conventionally expressed in volt-amperes (VA) since it is the
product of rms voltage and rms current. The unit for reactive power is expressed as var, which
stands for volt-ampere reactive. Since reactive power transfers no net energy to the load, it is
sometimes called "wattless" power. It does, however, serve an important function in electrical
grids and its lack has been cited as a significant factor in theNortheast Blackout of 2003.[3]

Understanding the relationship among these three quantities lies at the heart of understanding
power engineering. The mathematical relationship among them can be represented by vectors or
expressed using complex numbers, S = P + jQ (where j is the imaginary unit).

Power factor
Power factor

The ratio of active power to apparent power in a circuit is called the power factor. For two
systems transmitting the same amount of active power, the system with the lower power factor
will have higher circulating currents due to energy that returns to the source from energy storage
in the load. These higher currents produce higher losses and reduce overall transmission
efficiency. A lower power factor circuit will have a higher apparent power and higher losses for
the same amount of active power.
Purely capacitive circuits supply reactive power with the current waveform leading the voltage
waveform by 90 degrees, while purely inductive circuits absorb reactive power with the current
waveform lagging the voltage waveform by 90 degrees. The result of this is that capacitive and
inductive circuit elements tend to cancel each other out. [4]

The power factor is one when the voltage and current are in phase. It is zero when the current
leads or lags the voltage by 90 degrees. Power factors are usually stated as "leading" or
"lagging" to show the sign of the phase angle of current with respect to voltage. Voltage is
designated as the base to which current angle is compared, meaning that we think of current as
either "leading" or "lagging" voltage.

Where the waveforms are purely sinusoidal, the power factor is the cosine of the phase angle (φ)
between the current and voltage sinusoid waveforms. Equipment data sheets and nameplates
will often abbreviate power factor as " " for this reason.

Example: The active power is 700 W and the phase angle between voltage and current is 45.6°.
The power factor is cos(45.6°) = 0.700. The apparent power is then:700 W / cos(45.6°) = 1000
VA.[5]

Reactive power

In a direct current circuit, the power flowing to the load is proportional to the product of the
current through the load and the potential drop across the load. Energy flows in one direction
from the source to the load.

In AC power, the voltage and current both vary approximately sinusoidally. Things become
complicated when these two waveforms do not line up perfectly. The power flow has two
components - one component flows from source to load and can perform work at the load, the
other portion, known as "reactive power" is due to the delay between voltage and current, known
as phase angle, and cannot do useful work at the load. It can be thought of as current that is
arriving at the wrong time (too late or too early). To distinguish reactive power from active power,
it is measured in units of "volt-amperes reactive" or var. These units can simplify to Watts, but
are left as var to denote that they represent no actual work output. [6]

The amount of ‘inefficiency’ is called the power factor and is expressed as a percentage. For
instance, a power factor of 68 percent means that only 68 percent of the total current supplied is
actually doing work; the remaining 32 percent is reactive and has to be made up by the utility.
Usually, utilities do not charge consumers for the reactive power losses as they do no real work
for the consumer. However, if there are inefficiencies at the customer’s load source that causes
the power factor to fall below a certain level, utilities may charge customers in order to cover an
increase in their power plant fuel use and their worse line and plant capacity.

Energy stored in capacitive or inductive elements of the network give rise to reactive power flow.
Reactive power flow strongly influences the voltage levels across the network. Voltage levels and
reactive power flow must be carefully controlled to allow a power system to be operated within
acceptable limits.

A technique known as reactive compensation is used to reduce apparent power flow to a load by
reducing reactive power supplied from transmission lines and providing it locally. For example, to
compensate an inductive load a shunt capacitor is installed close to the load itself. This allows all
reactive power needed by the load to be supplied by the capacitor and not have to be transferred
over the transmission lines. This practice alone does not save energy because reactive power
does no work, but instead reduces total current flow on the transmission lines allowing them to
have smaller current ratings.

Capacitive vs. Inductive Loads

Stored energy in the magnetic or electric field of a load device, such as a motor or capacitor,
causes an offset between the current and the voltage waveforms.

A capacitor is an AC device that stores energy in the form of an electric field. As current is driven
through the capacitor, charge build-up causes an opposing voltage to develop across the
capacitor. This voltage increases until some maximum dictated by the capacitor structure. In an
AC network, the voltage across a capacitor is constantly changing. The capacitor opposes this
change, causing the current to lead the voltage in phase. Capacitors are said to "source" reactive
power, and thus to cause a leading power factor.

Induction machines are some of the most common types of loads in the electric power system
today. These machines use inductors, or large coils of wire to store energy in the form of a
magnetic field. When a voltage is initially placed across the coil, the inductor strongly resists this
change in current and magnetic field, which causes a time delay for the current to reach its
maximum value. This causes the current to lag behind the voltage in phase. Inductors are said to
"sink" reactive power, and thus to cause a lagging power factor. Induction generators can source
or sink reactive power, and provide a measure of control to system operators over reactive power
flow and thus voltage.[7]

Because these devices have opposite effects on the phase angle between voltage and current,
they can be used to "cancel out" each other's effects. This usually takes the form of capacitor
banks being used to counteract the lagging power factor caused by induction motors.

Reactive power control

Transmission connected generators are generally required to support reactive power flow. For
example, on the United Kingdom transmission system generators are required by the Grid Code
Requirements to supply their rated power between the limits of 0.85 power factor lagging and
0.90 power factor leading at the designated terminals. The system operator will perform
switching actions to maintain a secure and economical voltage profile while maintaining a
reactive power balance equation:
 Generator_MVARs + System_gain + Shunt_capacitors = MVAR_Demand +
Reactive_losses + Shunt_reactors

The ‘System gain’ is an important source of reactive power in the above power balance
equation, which is generated by the capacitive nature of the transmission network itself. By
making decisive switching actions in the early morning before the demand increases, the
system gain can be maximized early on, helping to secure the system for the whole day.

To balance the equation some pre-fault reactive generator use will be required. Other
sources of reactive power that will also be used include shunt capacitors, shunt reactors,
Static VAR Compensators and voltage control circuits.