Energy is no longer a commodity, it's a necessity in today's world. Today most of our work and life depends on electricity. Research has shown that in the next 15 to 20 years Asia will be consuming more energy than any other part f the world. This is gradually going to become a pressing issue unless it is addressed soon. Asians pay very high electricity bills as compared to those who live in the US or Canada. It's time for Asia, especially countries like India to take a good look of where this is heading so that we have a solution before it gets to be a major problem. Currently products such as APFC try to address the problem of high power consumption. Let's look at what APFC's are along with what / who uses them currently in a bit more detail. APFC control panels and capacitors refer to automatic power factor control panels. These are used to improve the power factor(PF) of electric devices such as motors. APFC's achieve this by switching the power through multiple capacitor banks.
The next question that comes to mind is who would use APFC? APFC Control Panels and Capacitors are mostly beneficial in the following sectors - Commercial Industries - Housing Complexes - Hotels - Outsourcing BPO centers - Software Development Centers - Airports, Dockyards - Emergency Units such as hospitals etc Next we need to understand who supplies APFC panels - Capacitor Manufacturers - Panel Builders - Specialized Manufacturers - Integrators - Energy Services Companies - Control Panel Manufacturers Why is APFC in demand in today's market? In today's fast paced world it is important to note that heavy industry and business houses have large electrical loads such as motors, large machines, air conditioners, high density server farms, automated machinery, etc. Equipment of this nature tends to be severely inductive in nature which results in a lagging power factor. This in turn wastes significant energy. While the ideal Power Factor (PF) is 1, most Industrial loads have a PF lower than 1.
So what is a Power factor (PF)? Power factor in technical terms is defined as the ration of Power utilized (KW) along with the Power Drawn (KVA). In common terms when power is applied to any electrical motor, the power for the complete motor is not converted as power utilized (KW). Thus depending on how the induction of the motor is designed reactive power (KVA) is drawn which results in excessive use of KVA. To combat this KVA drawn, the inductive KVAR needs to be removed or nullified. This can only be achieved by introducing an opposite KVAR to obtain the right PF maintaining the system balance. Most Industrial and electrical motors consume KVARs . If the loads can be fixed loads then this can be overcome by manual switching of capacitors. This is usually not the case. That's where APFC kicks in where-by it overcomes the drawback of the lagging power factor. APFC removes the requirement of manual intervention and maintains a high power factor. The principle of Power Factor (PF) is used in APFC is to supply KVARs via a capacitor there by reducing the power drawn from the supply line. Thus for an Industry with dynamically changing loads, APFC (Automatic Power Factor Compensation) provides the best return on investment, since the KVAR investment required is smaller when compared to a fixed capacitors.
According to the State Electricity Board (SEB's) in India there is a specific standard by which industries and businesses are required to abide by. The average Power Factor needs to be maintained above the specified limit of 0.85 to 0.90 PF. If this has not been followed through appropriately, companies in India face penalty charges on top of their current standard bill. This goes to show how conservation and appropriate use of electricity has gained momentum. It's important that APFC manufactured are robust and do not face any issues which in turn may create loss of energy. The main issues that arise in any APFC are as follows: - Design as a few flaws - Component Size is inconsistent - Installation at client site has not been handed appropriately - Wrong connections to the Automatic Relay - A narrow band-width - Discharge Resistor - Choke coils burning out - Time Delay Relays have been bypassed - Improper ventilation - Leaks within capacitors.
Failures in the above areas can lead to the following flaws in an APFC - Higher Maintenance and frequent visits for servicing - Poorer PF raises the kVA consumed When choosing an APFC you need to note that a well designed APFC will have at minimum the following features -- Rust free steal material to create the Panels -- The Harmonic current will be less --The APFC control panel will have micro controllers and digital computation -- High Voltage, Low Voltage do not affect the capacitor
We hope the information provided was useful. It's important to note that when dealing with APFC its best to speak to the manufacturer directly so that you are able to understand what is supported and what is not. If your requirements are of a smaller scale then the range of APFC's to meet those needs will also be a bit different as compared to APFC that may be required for large industrial requirements. Either way make sure that some of the basics that have been discussed in the article are being covered in the information provided by the manufacture.
The next question that comes to mind is who would use APFC? APFC Control Panels and Capacitors are mostly beneficial in the following sectors - Commercial Industries - Housing Complexes - Hotels - Outsourcing BPO centers - Software Development Centers - Airports, Dockyards - Emergency Units such as hospitals etc Next we need to understand who supplies APFC panels - Capacitor Manufacturers - Panel Builders - Specialized Manufacturers - Integrators - Energy Services Companies - Control Panel Manufacturers Why is APFC in demand in today's market? In today's fast paced world it is important to note that heavy industry and business houses have large electrical loads such as motors, large machines, air conditioners, high density server farms, automated machinery, etc. Equipment of this nature tends to be severely inductive in nature which results in a lagging power factor. This in turn wastes significant energy. While the ideal Power Factor (PF) is 1, most Industrial loads have a PF lower than 1.
So what is a Power factor (PF)? Power factor in technical terms is defined as the ration of Power utilized (KW) along with the Power Drawn (KVA). In common terms when power is applied to any electrical motor, the power for the complete motor is not converted as power utilized (KW). Thus depending on how the induction of the motor is designed reactive power (KVA) is drawn which results in excessive use of KVA. To combat this KVA drawn, the inductive KVAR needs to be removed or nullified. This can only be achieved by introducing an opposite KVAR to obtain the right PF maintaining the system balance. Most Industrial and electrical motors consume KVARs . If the loads can be fixed loads then this can be overcome by manual switching of capacitors. This is usually not the case. That's where APFC kicks in where-by it overcomes the drawback of the lagging power factor. APFC removes the requirement of manual intervention and maintains a high power factor. The principle of Power Factor (PF) is used in APFC is to supply KVARs via a capacitor there by reducing the power drawn from the supply line. Thus for an Industry with dynamically changing loads, APFC (Automatic Power Factor Compensation) provides the best return on investment, since the KVAR investment required is smaller when compared to a fixed capacitors.
According to the State Electricity Board (SEB's) in India there is a specific standard by which industries and businesses are required to abide by. The average Power Factor needs to be maintained above the specified limit of 0.85 to 0.90 PF. If this has not been followed through appropriately, companies in India face penalty charges on top of their current standard bill. This goes to show how conservation and appropriate use of electricity has gained momentum. It's important that APFC manufactured are robust and do not face any issues which in turn may create loss of energy. The main issues that arise in any APFC are as follows: - Design as a few flaws - Component Size is inconsistent - Installation at client site has not been handed appropriately - Wrong connections to the Automatic Relay - A narrow band-width - Discharge Resistor - Choke coils burning out - Time Delay Relays have been bypassed - Improper ventilation - Leaks within capacitors.
Failures in the above areas can lead to the following flaws in an APFC - Higher Maintenance and frequent visits for servicing - Poorer PF raises the kVA consumed When choosing an APFC you need to note that a well designed APFC will have at minimum the following features -- Rust free steal material to create the Panels -- The Harmonic current will be less --The APFC control panel will have micro controllers and digital computation -- High Voltage, Low Voltage do not affect the capacitor
We hope the information provided was useful. It's important to note that when dealing with APFC its best to speak to the manufacturer directly so that you are able to understand what is supported and what is not. If your requirements are of a smaller scale then the range of APFC's to meet those needs will also be a bit different as compared to APFC that may be required for large industrial requirements. Either way make sure that some of the basics that have been discussed in the article are being covered in the information provided by the manufacture.
About the Author:
We are a Pune based APFC Control Panel Manufacturers. We specialize in International quality standard APFC Control Panels. We take pride in nurturing proficient skilled professionals in manufacturing varied electrical panels.
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