Design of automatic power factor control system

Abstract

Maintenance of the proper power factor is a very important matter for the industry and for the economy of any country. A study of the power factor values for a number of industrial plants in Botswana shows that they operate at power-factors lower than the optimal values. If a plant power factor is different from its optimal value, this will cause considerable loses in terms of investments for larger power generation and supply equipment and in terms of heat dissipation from the supply lines and other equipment. To improve the power factor and keep it at an optimal value, there are a number of preventative measures, as well as corrective actions that could be implemented. The power factor of a plant changes, depending on the number of electrical units operating at a time. After a full analysis of the power factor issue and its optimal case, an automatic control is designed that may maintain the power factor of a plant within values close to optimal. Similar automatic power factor control system can be introduced for all industrial plants with unsatisfactory power factor throughout the country that can improve considerably the efficiency of power utilization Keywords: Control system, power factor, power utilization, optimal value Botswana Journal of Technology Vol.13(1) 2004: 26-33