Power Factor

Power Factor

Power Factor is Defined as ‘the cosine of the angle between the voltage and current’. In AC circuit, the voltage and current are ideally in phase But practically, there exists a phase difference between them. The cosine of this phase difference is termed as power factor.

Power Triangle 

Power Triangle is the representation of a right angle triangle showing the relation between active power, reactive power and apparent power.

When each component of the current that is the active component (Icosϕ) or the reactive component (Isinϕ) is multiplied by the voltage V, a power triangle is obtained shown in the figure below:

The power which is actually consumed or utilized in an AC Circuit is called True power or Active Power or real power. It is measured in kilowatt (kW) or MW.

The power which flows back and forth that means it moves in both the direction in the circuit or reacts upon it, is called Reactive Power. The reactive power is measured in kilovolt-ampere reactive (kVAR) or MVAR.

The product of root mean square (RMS) value of voltage and current is known as Apparent Power. This power is measured in KVA or MVA.

Impedance Triangle

Power factor = R/Z = Resistance / Impedence