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At present, the power system is reliable. There is little problem for power outage, load shedding etc. As the power is now abundant, now comes the point of its quality- that is power qual
– Teresa and Kevin K.
Electricity is arguably the most valuable resource we have in our modern society. Without electricity, most of the things we do and rely on on a daily basis wouldn’t be there. So while electricity is so ingrained into our lives that we can take it for granted and hardly notice it’s there, if there’s an electrical problem, it can be difficult to notice anything else.
Low power factor has disadvantage and demerits in electrical system. It causes voltage fluctuation, requirement of high capacity generator, transformer and other electrical parts within the electrical network from generation side to the consumer side. In this article we shall look into why low power factor is harmful to electrical system.
We know electrical power (P) consist of two parts, voltage=V and current=I. Mathematically, it is P=V*I. On the other hand, power factor is an angular parameter between the voltage and current. The value of power factor varies from zero (0) to one (1).
You have heard of low power factor in electrical system. Usual cases, low power factor would be around .5 or .6 etc. High power factor is usually above .90. Ideal power factor is one (1). This is possible with a pure resistive electrical system.
We shall use the basic power formula P (Power)= Voltage (V)*Current (I)* Power factor (PF). As an example, we can choose some easy value, as follows: P=100 Watt, V =200 V. Here, at consumer side, the voltage is 200 V and load is 200 Watt. So, we shall calculate the required current sent from the generator or utility side to run the 200 Watt load.
Case 1: There is pure resistive electrical system at consumer end. Thus power factor is one (1). I=P/(V*PF)=200/(200*1)=1 amp. So, utility side have to transfer 1 amp current to run the 200 watt load at consumer side.
Case 2: There is moderate power factor in electrical system at consumer end. Power factor is .8. I=P/(V*PF)=200/(200*.8)=1.25 amp. So, utility side have to transfer 1.25 amp to run the 200 watt load at consumer side.
Case 3: There is low power factor in electrical system at consumer end. Power factor is .5. I=P/(V*PF)=200/(200*.5)=2 amp. So, utility side have to transfer 2 amp current to run the 200 watt load at consumer side.
Therefore, with a low power factor system, we need to send additional current for the same load. Thus, we can summaries the following disadvantage of low power factor in electrical system-
Electricity is arguably the most valuable resource we have in our mode
Electricity is arguably the most valuable resource we have in our mode
