Power factor correction is a frequently misunderstood topic. Improper techniques can result in over-correction, under-correction, and/or harmonic resonance, so it can be helpful to understand the ...

Ideally, the power factor should be 1; then the load appears as a resistor to the AC source. However, in the real world, electrical loads not only cause distortions in AC current waveforms, but also ...

Oscilloscopes measure current and voltage and, through the magic of mathematics, calculate power. Unfortunately, power comes in a large number of guises: instantaneous, real, apparent, and reactive.

Low power factor reduces an electrical system’s distribution capacity by increasing current flow. Therefore, having a low power factor is inefficient and expensive. But what is power factor and what ...

Your utility Power Factor is the ratio of the system’s Real Power and the Apparent Power (Eq. 1, Fig. 1). This unitless factor ranges from −1 to 1. The Power Factor ratio aptly describes the type of ...

Utility power plant generators are usually designed for a power factor (PF) of .8 to .9. If demand-side PF is lower than the designed PF, the generator current will rise above the equipment's rated ...

Most discussions on manufacturing energy efficiency focus on identifying easy-to-find-and-fix energy wasters such as compressed air leaks, inefficient lighting, equipment that is always left on when ...