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Home / Technical Articles / Electrical Lectures / The basics of power in alternating current circuits (you MUST
NEVER forget)
Apparent power =
Real or True power (linked to resistance) +
Reactive power (linked to inductance or capacitance)
Another name that has been used for this quality is Imaginary Power. The
name is derived from the application of the complex number convention to
calculate Z.
A related concept is that of power factor, which is defined as a magnitude
of P divided by a magnitude of S. In the electric power industry, if the power
factor is too low (typically under 0.85) because of the magnitude of the reactive
component Q, corrective actions are usually taken.
Using symbols:
S = P + jQ
Real Power
Real power is available to do work and is equal to the value of the resistance
multiplied by the square of the current through the resistance. It is measured by
a quantity called megawatts (mW) or kilowatts (kW).
P = I2 x R
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Reactive Power
Reactive power neither consumes nor supplies energy. The reactive power
associated with an inductive reactance is the value of the inductive reactance
multiplied by the square of the current through it. The reactive power is
measured by a quantity called volt-ampere reactive or VARs.
As the length of a line increases, its inductive reactance increases, and the
more capacitive reactive power needed to offset the effect and to maintain
adequate voltage:
QL = I2 x XL
The capacitive reactive power QC relates to the establishment of the electric
field around a line. There are a number of ways to calculate this value, but the
following offer insight into its effects on the transmission system.
QC = 3 x VLN2 / XC or 3 x VLL x IC
In a power system, under normal operations, the voltage level on any one line is
kept more or less constant, so the reactive power associated with the
capacitance of the line is also relatively constant.
Charging current IC is defined as the line to neutral voltage divided by the
capacitive reactance:
IC = VLN / XC
If the charging current becomes too large, much of the lines current carrying
capacity may be eaten up by charging current.
Generators
Capacitors
Lightly loaded transmission lines due to the capacitive charging effect
Sinks of reactive power which lower voltage:
Inductors
Transformers
Most heavily loaded transmission lines due to the I2XL effect
Most customer load (due to the presence of induction motors and the
supply to other electric fields)
A synchronous generator can be made to be either a source of reactive power
or a sink by using the generator excitation system to vary the level of its DC
field voltage.
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