Improving Power Factors in an AC Circuit
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This Demonstration shows how to improve the power factor in an AC circuit. A power factor correction for a given load voltage and current can reduce operating costs. As described in Details, the key formulas are 
, 
, 
, 
, where 
is the AC emf driving the circuit. The angular frequency 
is related to the frequency 
in hertz (Hz) by 
. In this Demonstration, the amplitude 
is set at 100 volts (V). You can vary the frequency 
in Hz, the resistance 
in ohms (
), the inductance 
in millihenries (mH), and the capacitance 
in microfarads (
F). The phase of 
lags that of 
by 
. The phase of 
lags that of 
by 
, where 
, 
.
Contributed by: Anping Zeng (August 2011)
(Sichuan Chemical Technical College)
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
Snapshots
Details
(a) The original inductive load. (b) The inductive load with improved power factor correction.
(c) The lower triangle of power factor correction; this shows the capacitance value needed to change the pf angle from 
to 
. (d) The affect of the capacitor on the total current; when paralleling the capacitance 
, the power factor is improved; 
.
Permanent Citation
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