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Electric Terms Definition
Electric Terms Definition
Due to the behavior of voltage and currents, especially when subjected to these
components, power quantity comes in different forms.
In AC circuits, voltage and current amplitudes will change continuously over a time.
Since the power is the voltage times the current, it will be maximized when currents
and voltages are lined up with each other.
This means that zero and maximum points on current and voltage waveforms occurs
at the same time. This can be referred as the useful power.
In case of an inductor or capacitor elements there exists 90 0 phase shift between the
voltage and current. So, the power will have a zero value every time when either
voltage or current has zero value.
This is not a desirable condition because no work is being performed at the load
even though source is generating power. This power is called reactive power. Let us
discuss these forms of power in electrical AC circuits in brief.
Table of Contents
Power in AC Circuits
Active Power
Reactive Power
o Significance of Reactive Power
Apparent Power
Power Triangle
Power Factor
Example Problem
Power in AC Circuits
The power in any electrical circuit can be obtained by performing multiplication of
voltage and current values in that circuit. This is applicable for both DC and AC
circuits.
Power is measured in watts. In DC circuits and pure AC circuits without any non
linear components, the current and voltage waveforms are ‘in phase’.
So the power at any instant of time in that circuit is obtained by multiplying the
voltage and current. However, in case of AC circuits, this will not be so (as
mentioned above the existence of phase shift).
v = Vm sin ωt ⇒ v = √2 V sin ωt
Where V (= Vm/√2) and I (= Im/√2) are the RMS values of applied voltage and
current flowing through the circuit respectively. Φ is the phase difference between
voltage and current, to which + sign indicates the leading phase angle while
negative indicates the lagging phase angle.
Active Power
The actual amount of power being dissipated or performs the useful work in the
circuit is called as active or true or real power. It is measured in watts, practically
measured in KW (kilowatts) and MW (megawatts) in power systems.
It is denoted by the letter P (capital) and it is equal to the average value of p = VI cos
ϕ. It is the desired outcome of an electrical system which drives the circuit or load.
P = VI cos ϕ
Reactive Power
The average value of the second term in the above derived expression is zero, so
the power contributed by this term is zero. The component, which is proportional to
VI sin ϕ is called as reactive power, represented by the letter Q.
Even though it is a power, but not measured in watts as it is a non active power and
hence, it is measured in Volt-Amperes- Reactive (VAR). The value of this reactive
power can be negative or positive depends on the load power factor.
This is because inductive load consumes the reactive power while capacitive load
generates the reactive power.
Q = VI sin ϕ
In the normal sense, this fictitious power is not at all a power but only a power-like
measure of reactive component of the current. If there exist excess amount of
reactive power, power factor is greatly reduced. This low power factor is undesirable
in terms of operating efficiency and operational costs.
And also this power causes to draw additional current from the supply leads to
additional losses and greater capacity of the equipments. That’s why this power has
been referred as the cholesterol of power lines in a joking manner.
In order to minimize losses and to increase the capacity of the available equipment,
utility companies make use VAR compensation techniques or power factor
correction equipments. Generally, these reactive compensation techniques are
implemented at the load side.
However, this reactive power is useful for generating necessary magnetic fields for
operation of inductive devices like transformers, AC motors, etc. It also helps to
regulate the voltage in heavy power supply mechanisms.
Apparent Power
The complex combination of true or active power and reactive power is called
apparent power. Without reference to any phase angle, the product of voltage and
current gives the apparent power. The apparent power is useful for rating the power
equipment.
It can also be expressed as the square of the current multiplied by the circuit’s
impedance. It is denoted by the letter S and measured in Volt-Amperes (VA),
practical units include KVA (Kilo volt-amperes) and MVA (mega volt-amperes).
Apparent power, S = V × I
In complex form, S = V I*
S = V I cos ϕ + jV I sin ϕ
S = P + jQ
Or S = I2Z
Power Triangle
The relation between active, reactive and apparent power can be expressed by
representing quantities as vectors, which is also called as power triangle method as
shown below. In this phasor diagram voltage is considered as reference vector. The
voltage & current phasor diagram is the basis for the formation of the power triangle.
In figure (a), current lags the applied voltage by angle ϕ. The horizontal component
of the current is I cos ϕ and the vertical component of the current is I sin ϕ. If each of
the current phasor is multiplied by the voltage V, the power triangle is obtained as
shown in the figure (b).
The active power is contributed by the component I cos ϕ in phase with voltage
while reactive power is produced by the quadrature component.
Using Pythagoras’s theorem, the sum of squares of the two adjacent sides (active
power and reactive power) is equal to the square of the diagonal (apparent power).
i.e.,
S2 = P2+ Q2
S = √((Q2 + P2))
Where
In terms of resistive, inductive and impedance elements, the power forms can be
expressed as
Where
X is inductance
Z is impedance.
Power Factor
The power factor is the cosine angle between the voltage and current. The power
factor can be expressed in terms of the above discussed power forms. Consider the
power triangle in above figure in which power factor is the ratio of active power to
apparent power. Power factor defines the efficiency of the circuit.
PF = VI cos ϕ / VI
PF = cos ϕ
Example Problem
If an AC power supply of 100V, 50Hz is connected across a load of impedance, 20 +
j15 Ohms. Then calculate the current flowing through the circuit, active power,
apparent power, reactive power and power factor.
I = 4 ∠–36.87