What is Power Factor Correction?
Electricity is expensive and vital to keeping businesses functioning, so why waste it? Even with automated systems, high-quality equipment, and savings where possible, electrical inefficiency can lead to unnecessary usage and increased service costs if left unchecked.
This inefficiency results from a low “power factor.” Fortunately, improving your company’s power factor can be done relatively quickly by logging data and optimizing your electrical system. This blog will cover what power factor is, how it impacts your bottom line, and
What is Power Factor?
An easy way to understand power factor is by considering a pint of beer in a glass. There is the beer and the foam when a glass of beer is poured. Let’s say you order 1 pint of beer, but when it arrives at your table, 30% is foam, which has no value. That means your “beer factor” is 0.7. It should be much closer to 1, though, because that is what you ordered!
In an electrical context, say a company’s system demanded 50 kVA last month. However, the company actually uses 40 kW of “active power”. The energy that was drawn but not used is “reactive power,” and is considered the foam in the glass. Since reactive power accounts for 20% of the demand, the power factor is 0.8.
Electrical suppliers do not like generating and distributing power that goes to waste, so they often charge more for inefficient electricity consumers. Typically, a power factor of 0.9 or higher is acceptable.
Low Power Factor Causes: Leading or Lagging Power Factor
This answer requires a little bit of electrical knowledge. Here’s what you need to know.
Energy flows in a circuit from the source to the equipment that needs it. For electricity to flow, it needs current, the energy that powers things, and voltage, the pressure that pushes the energy through the wire. It’s like how pressure pushes water through a pipe.
Current and voltage must flow in phase (together) for electricity to flow efficiently. Certain types of equipment can create circuit inefficiencies by causing the current to become out of phase. Sometimes the current leads the voltage, whereas other times, it lags. Even one consistent disruption from a piece of equipment can make a noticeable difference in your electricity bill.
Besides the added cost of inefficient power, equipment and appliances that use leading or lagging power can suffer. With the abundance of electronics in machines and equipment now, they are sensitive to the power they draw. To make matters worse, warranties typically will not cover these problems because they are not mechanical or the product’s fault. This is why a power factor correction is necessary.
What is Power Factor Correction?
Improving power factor is straightforward. At Kraun, we provide a complete service to fix the issue. It starts with connecting a power logger to your company’s electrical system, which we can use to identify events or issues that create inefficiencies. Sometimes, a single machine may cause an issue. Other times, it may be multiple minor problems. Fortunately, the power logger provides all the information needed to find the solution.
Next, our specialized electricians diagnose the issues and install or enhance equipment to improve the power factor.
There are multiple solutions an electrician can use to correct power, including new wiring, capacitors, line reactors, or DC chokes. Surge protectors are also recommended for installation during power factor correction to further protect your electrical systems.
