
It is conventional to define S, the apparent power, as VI* (see Figure I.10(b)
where I* is shown). In Figure I.10(c), S ¼
ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
P
2
þ Q
2
p
¼ VI
. S is measured in volt-
ampere or kilovolt-ampere. The cosine of the angle f (cos f) is called the power
factor of the circuit.
Most industrial and large commercial electricity consumers have pre-
dominantly inductive loads. For a given applied voltage and real power load,
the current drawn is high if the power factor is low. This in turn increases the size of
the distribution cables required both within the consumer premises and on the uti-
lity side, the size of the transformers and losses in cables and transformers.
P
Active power
component
=
i
P
Reactive power
component =
i
Q
Instantaneous
power =
i
I
m
V
m
i
i
Q
i
P
i
P
= Active current component
i
Q
= Reactive current component
φ
wt
wt
Figure I.11 Active and reactive power associated with an inductive load
EXAMPLE I.4
A single-phase motor of 10 kW operates at a power factor of 0.8 lagging
when connected to a 230 V, 50 Hz supply. It is proposed to improve the
power factor to 0.9 lagging by connecting a capacitor across the load. Cal-
culate the kVAr rating of the capacitor.
Answer:
As shown in Figure I.7, for a capacitor f ¼ 90
and therefore from (I.9) and
(I.10), P ¼ 0 and Q ¼ VI; that is a capacitor acts as a source of reactive power.
Therefore, if a capacitor is connected across the motor, a part of the reactive
power drawn by the motor is supplied by the capacitor, thus reducing reactive
power drawn from the AC mains. This is called power factor correction.
AC electrical systems 193