Optimize placement of in-plant power-factor correction capacitors

Journal Article · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Electrical World

OSTI ID:136278

Kennedy, B ^[1]

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1. Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, OR (United States)

One large capacity bank, placed on the industrial power user`s main bus, corrects the metered power factor, but it provides little additional benefit for the power system inside the plant. If instead, capacitors are placed closer to motor loads, a large portion of the reactive power is supplied locally rather than from the utility source. This cuts losses in feeders and step-down transformers within the plant. In addition, capacitors can be released from serving non-motor loads while providing better regulation on longer, heavily loaded circuits. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) recently developed a guidebook and software to help its industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest to improve power factor in their plants and save money on their electric bills. The guidebook and software take the user through an easy-to-use, step-by-step process that includes worksheets at key points. The tools make the process much simpler for industrial power users, whose primary expertise is usually not on electrical systems. Either the guidebook or the software program-written for Microsoft Windows 3.1 - allow the user to determine the amount of capacitors required, where to place them to minimize losses, the economic payback, and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls that adversely affect power quality and the viability of industrial equipment.

• OSTI ID: 136278
• Journal Information: Electrical World, Journal Name: Electrical World Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 209; ISSN 0013-4457; ISSN ELWOA3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
42 ENGINEERING
CAPACITORS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
POWER FACTOR
POWER LOSSES
POWER SYSTEMS