Scribd
Upload
36 views25 pages

ELTA - Lecture 4 - Power in AC Circuits

POWER

Uploaded by

Mazwe Hlafuna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
36 views25 pages

ELTA - Lecture 4 - Power in AC Circuits

POWER

Uploaded by

Mazwe Hlafuna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 25

Power in AC resistive and reactive circuits

Consider a circuit for a single-phase AC power system

The power dissipated at the load would be 240 watts.


calculations are similar to that in an equivalent DC circuit
the waveform for power is always positive, never negative for this resistive circuit
This means that power is always being absorbed/dissipated by the resistive load
the waveform for power is not at the same frequency as the voltage or current
its frequency is double that of either the voltage or current waveforms
Power in reactive circuits

consider a simple AC circuit with a purely reactive


the power alternates equally between cycles of positive and negative
this means that power is being alternately absorbed from and returned to the source
Therefore the average power consumed by the inductor is ZERO
consider an AC circuit with a load consisting of both inductance and
resistance
the power alternates between positive and negative instantaneous values over time

but the amount of positive power exceeds the amount of negative power

the combined inductive/resistive load will consume more power than it returns back to the
source

Calculating power in an AC circuit is a challenge, because the power wave isn't at the same
frequency as voltage or current.
Calculating power in an AC circuit is a challenge
the power wave isn't at the same frequency as voltage or current
the phase angle for power means something quite different from the phase angle
for either voltage or current.
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.
It is easier to calculate power by using scalar quantities of voltage, current,
resistance, and reactance instead of using or complex quantities
there are three categories of power:

• Active power
• Reactive power
• Apparent Power

These three types of power relate to one another in trigonometric form

We call this the power triangle


Active Power
Active or true or real power
refers to the quantity of power that is dissipated
or the power that produces work in the circuit.

It is equivalent to an average power

P=VI cos ϕ………………W


P = I2 R
Reactive Power
Reactive power is the power that goes back and forth between the source and
the load
Inductance & capacitance
capacitors are considered to generate reactive power and inductors to
consume it.
Reactive power, indicated by the letter Q
it is not calculated in watts because it is a non-active power………does not
produce work/heat
calculated in Volt-Amperes-Reactive (VAR)
The load determines whether this reactive power is negative or positive
inductive loads absorb reactive power, whereas capacitive loads create it

Q=VI sin ϕ…………………………….VAR


Q = I2 (XL – XC) = I2X
Apparent Power
The term apparent power refers to the combination of true power and
reactive power

power is equal to product of voltage and current, regardless of phase angle

It is indicated by the symbol S and is calculated in volt-amperes (VA)

S = VI
S= I2Z…………………………….VA
S²=P²+Q²
Power Factor
Power Factor is a measure of how efficiently electrical power is consumed

The ratio of the active power and the apparent power existing in the circuit is
known as the power factor

Power Factor = Active power/Apparent power

pf = P/S……………………no unit

Also, cosΦ = R/Z R is the resistance of the circuit


Z represents impedance of the circuit
between 0 and 1……………………1 is referred to as unity pf
pf is important in high-power applications
Inductive loads have lagging power factor
Capacitive loads have leading power factor
Most high-powered electrical machines are inductive
transformers, motors, lighting ballast
Typical industrial motor has a pf of 0.9 lagging
Total load on the national grid is between 0,8 – 0.9 lagging
Poor power factor results in an increase in the apparent power (KVA)
This results in higher currents
bigger cables
higher voltage drops along transmission cables
greater line losses
increased power demand
increases generation and transmission cost
Power utilities charge large power consumers (commercial & industrial
uses)
Maximum demand tariff
Measured in KVA
Power Factor Correction
Power factor correction is the process of adjusting the characteristics of
electric loads
either by an electrical power transmission utility to improve
the stability and efficiency of the transmission network
Individual electrical customers to reduce the costs charged
to them by the utility
Inductive reactance can only be canceled by capacitive
reactance
add a capacitor in parallel efficiency of the
transmission network
Practical Power Factor Correction
First, we need to calculate the apparent power in kVA. We
can do this by multiplying load voltage by load current
S = VI = 9.615 x 240 = 2.308 kVA
we can draw a power triangle, and from that determine the reactive
power of this load
Parallel capacitor corrects lagging (inductive) load.
Xc 1/ 2 fC
An 80 µF capacitor will have a capacitive reactance of 33.157 Ω
I = V/XC = 240/33.157 = 7.238 A

reactive power of the capacitor


QC = I2 XC) = 1.737 kVAR
Since the capacitor’s current is 180o out of phase from the load’s
inductive contribution to current draw, the capacitor’s reactive power
will directly subtract from the load’s reactive power, resulting in:

You might also like