Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How To Apply Capacitors To Low Voltage Power Systems.
How To Apply Capacitors To Low Voltage Power Systems.
INC.
MYRON ZUCKER
CALMANUAL
POWER FACTOR CORRECTION
APPLICATION GUIDE
CALMANUAL
HOW TO APPLY CAPACITORS TO
LOW VOLTAGE POWER SYSTEMS.
MYRON ZUCKER
315 East Parent St.Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
Tel. (248) 543-2277 (800) 245-0583 Fax (248) 543-1529 ®
www.myronzuckerinc.com
PAGE - 2
SECTION I
UNDERSTANDING POWER FACTOR
KW or KW-HRS
Figure 1:
(Active Power)
O
KVAR or
KVA or KVA-HRS KVAR-HRS
(Total Power ) ( Reactive Power )
PF = KW = COS O
KVA
PAGE - 3
IMPROVING POWER FACTOR
COS O = .70
812
PF = x 100 = 70%
1160
The user, doing the same amount of work, but now with
capacitors installed, has eliminated the $650.00 monthly penalty.
This would be an annual savings of $7,800.00. The capacitors
and the labor to install them cost $7,351.00, a payback of less
then 12 months.
The utility has to generate 247 less KVA (1160 - 913 = 247),
and the user has the 1500 KVA transformer now loaded only
to 60% of capacity. This will allow the addition of more load
in the future to be supplied by the transformer.
PAGE - 4
SECTION II
ELIMINATION OF PENALTY DOLLARS
THE ADVANTAGES A high power factor eliminates penalty dollars imposed when
OF MAINTAINING operating with a low power factor. For many years, most utilities
A HIGH POWER demanded a minimum of 85% power factor as an average for
each monthly billing. Now many of these same utilities are
FACTOR demanding 95%...or else pay a penalty!
A high power factor can help you utilize the full capacity of
your electrical system. To refresh our memory, let’s look again at
the power triangle story, shown on Pages 3 & 4, Figures 1, 2 ,
and 3. Remember that KVA is a measure of the total power
generated by the utility for you to accomplish your KW of work.
Remember that the KVA figure is the amount of power passing
through your plant transformer, and limited by its rated size: e.g.
750 KVA, 1500 KVA, 2500 KVA, etc. In the previous example,
we reduced your transformer loading from 1160 to 913 KVA, thus
allowing for more load to be added in the future.
REDUCTION OF I 2R LOSSES
PAGE - 5
SECTION III
ANALYSIS OF UTILITY BILLS
EXAMPLE:
STEPS:
PAGE - 6
TABLE 1: MULTIPLIERS TO DETERMINE CAPACITOR KVAR REQUIRED FOR POWER FACTOR CORRECTION
Orig-
inal Desired Power Factor
Power
Factor
0.60
PAGE - 7
SECTION IV
HERE ARE 4 METHODS USED IN LOCATING CAPACITORS
WITHIN AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Figure4:
overload relays
SW
or Starter
CB
MOTOR
Capacitor Capacitor
B A
PAGE - 8
TABLE2:SUGGESTEDMAXIMUMCAPACITORRATINGSUSEDFORHIGH
EFFICIENCYMOTORSANDOLDERDESIGN(PRE"T-FRAMES")MOTORS*
*For use with 3-phase, 60 hertz NEMA Classification B Motors to raise full load power factor to approximately 95%
TABLE3:SUGGESTEDMAXIMUMCAPACITORRATINGS
"T-FRAME"NEMA"DESIGNB"MOTORS*
*For use with 3-phase, 60 hertz NEMA Classification B Motors to raise full load power factor to approximately 95%
PAGE - 9
Method #2: FIXED CAPACITOR BANK
(CAPACIBANK ® brand capacitor)
This method is often used when the facility has few motors of
any sizeable horsepower to which capacitors can economically
be added. A fixed amount of KVAR can easily be added to an
existing run of plug-in bus by installing a Busmount™ brand
capacitor. A fixed amount can be added to the main buses in a
motor control center. In most cases, however, the fixed bank
(Capacibank™ brand capacitor) is usually located near the
service entrance switchboard. In all cases, a separate fused
switch, or circuit breaker, must be provided ahead of the
capacitor bank.
This method would seem to have much appeal, but it also has
a real disadvantage. Since it is usually located near the incoming
service entrance switchboard, we find that like the fixed bank this
automatic bank does nothing to reduce the conductor losses (and
thus billed KW-Hrs). Remember that the reduction in conductor
losses using Calmount ® brand capacitor (method #1) can
be sizeable.
PAGE - 10
SECTION V
HARMONIC
DISTORTION
PROBLEMS Starting in the late 1970's commercial, institutional, and
industrial plants have experienced a tremendous growth in the
use of equipment that can generate “harmonic” distortion in power
systems. Some examples of such equipment will include DC
drives, AC variable frequency drives, rectifiers, induction furnaces,
and UPS systems. This harmonic distortion develops a current
wave shape which results in higher than normal RMS
amperes (and heat) which will result in nuisance fuse-blowing,
circuit-breaker tripping, over-heated transformers, and premature
capacitor failure.
PAGE - 11
SECTION VI CAPACITOR DEFINITION & APPLICATION DATA
DEFINITIONS BASIC RELATIONS
KW
C: Capacitance (farads) PF = KVA = cos O
KW: Kilowatts, measure of active power
K VA R = KVA 2 —KW 2
KVA: Kilovolt-amperes, measure
of apparent power KVAR x lO 3
KVAR: Kilovolt-amperes reactive C in µF = (2 π f) x (KV) 2
µF: Microfarads, measure of capacitance
W = I2 R
(farads x 10 - 6 )
f: Frequency of voltage or current in Hz KVA = 3 x V x A (3-phase)
I c : Capacitor current in amperes 10 3
W: Dissipated power, in watts
IC = KVAR x 10 3 (3-phase)
V: Voltage (Volts)
3xV
I or A: Current (Amperes)
R: Resistance (ohms) Applied Voltage 208V 240V 480V 600V
Amps / KVAR 2.78 2.41 1.20 0.96
1 2.4 14 5 30 1.2 14 3 30 1 14 3 30 1
1.5 3.6 14 6 30 1.8 14 3 30 1.4 14 3 30 1.5
2 4.8 14 10 30 2.4 14 5 30 1.9 14 3 30 2
2.5 6 14 10 30 3.0 14 6 30 2.4 14 5 30 2.5
3 7.2 14 I5 30 3.6 14 6 30 2.9 14 5 30 3
4 9.6 12 20 30 4.8 14 10 30 3.8 14 6 30 4
5 12 12 20 30 6 14 10 30 4.8 14 10 30 5
6 14 10 25 30 7.2 14 15 30 5.8 14 10 30 6
7.5 18 10 30 30 9 14 15 30 7.2 14 15 30 7.5
10 24 8 40 60 12 12 20 30 9.6 12 20 30 10
12.5 30 8 50 60 15 10 25 30 12 12 20 30 12.5
15 36 6 60 60 18 10 30 30 14 10 25 30 15
17.5 42 6 70 100 21 8 35 60 16 10 30 30 17.5
20 48 4 80 100 24 8 40 60 19 8 35 60 20
22.5 54 4 90 100 27 8 50 60 22 8 35 60 22.5
25 60 2 100 100 30 8 50 60 24 8 40 60 25
27.5 66 2 125 200 33 6 60 60 26 8 45 60 27.5
30 72 2 125 200 36 6 60 60 29 8 50 60 30
32.5 78 1/0 150 200 39 6 65 100 31 8 50 60 32.5
35 84 1/0 150 200 42 6 70 100 34 6 60 60 35
37.5 90 1/0 150 200 45 6 75 100 36 6 60 60 37.5
40 96 2/0 175 200 48 4 80 100 38 6 65 100 40
42.5 102 2/0 175 200 51 4 90 100 41 6 70 100 42.5
45 108 3/0 200 200 54 4 90 100 43 6 75 100 45
50 120 3/0 200 200 60 2 100 100 48 4 80 100 50
52.5 126 3/0 200 200 63 2 110 200 50 4 80 100 52.5
55 132 4/0 250 400 66 2 125 200 53 4 90 100 55
60 144 4/0 250 400 72 2 125 200 58 2 100 100 60
65 156 4/0 250 400 78 1/0 150 200 62 2 110 200 65
70 168 300M 300 400 84 1/0 150 200 67 2 125 200 70
75 180 300M 300 400 90 1/0 150 200 72 2 125 200 75
80 192 350M 350 400 96 2/0 175 200 77 1/0 150 200 80
90 216 500M 400 400 108 3/0 200 200 86 1/0 150 200 90
100 240 500M 400 400 120 3/0 200 200 96 2/0 175 200 100
125 300 (2)4/0 500 600 150 4/0 250 400 120 3/0 200 200 125
150 360 (2)300M 600 600 180 300M 300 400 144 4/0 250 400 150
200 480 (2)500M 800 800 240 500M 400 400 192 350M 350 400 200
225 540 (3)300M 900 1200 270 (2)4/0 500 600 216 500M 400 400 225
250 600 (3)350M 1000 1200 300 (2)4/0 500 600 240 500M 400 400 250
300 720 (3)500M 1200 1200 360 (2)300M 600 600 288 (2)4/0 500 600 300
350 420 (2)350M 700 800 336 (2)300M 600 600 350
400 480 (2)500M 800 800 384 (2)350M 700 800 400
450 540 (3)300M 900 1200 432 (2)400M 750 800 450
500 600 (3)350M 1000 1200 480 (2)500M 800 800 500
550 660 (3)500M 1100 1200 528 (3)300M 900 1200 550
600 720 (3)500M 1200 1200 576 (3)350M 1000 1200 600
* RATED CURRENT BASED ON OPERATION AT RATED VOLTAGE, FREQUENCY, AND KVAR
† CONSULT NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE FOR OTHER WIRE TYPES. ABOVE SIZE BASED ON 350C AMBIENT OPERATION. (REFER TO NEC TABLE 310-16.)
NOTE: FUSES FURNISHED WITHIN CAPACITOR ASSEMBLY MAY BE RATED AT HIGHER VALUE THAN SHOWN IN THIS TABLE. THE TABLE IS CORRECT FOR FIELD INSTALLATIONS
AND REFLECTS THE MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTED RATING FOR OVERCURRENT PROTECTION AND DISCONNECT MEANS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE.
PAGE - 12