Power factor correction is a frequently misunderstood topic. Improper techniques can result in over-correction, under-correction, and/or harmonic resonance, so it can be helpful to understand the ...

Low power factor reduces an electrical system’s distribution capacity by increasing current flow. Therefore, having a low power factor is inefficient and expensive. But what is power factor and what ...

Oscilloscopes measure current and voltage and, through the magic of mathematics, calculate power. Unfortunately, power comes in a large number of guises: instantaneous, real, apparent, and reactive.

Your utility Power Factor is the ratio of the system’s Real Power and the Apparent Power (Eq. 1, Fig. 1). This unitless factor ranges from −1 to 1. The Power Factor ratio aptly describes the type of ...

Power factor (pf) is the ratio between real power (P) flowing to the load, and the apparent power (S) in the circuit: pf = P/S. It is a sinusoidal waveform and therefore expressed as a dimensionless ...

Understanding power factor (PF) is important because it gives us a clear understanding of the efficiency of an electrical system. Put simply, it’s the ratio of true power and apparent power, which ...

Most discussions on manufacturing energy efficiency focus on identifying easy-to-find-and-fix energy wasters such as compressed air leaks, inefficient lighting, equipment that is always left on when ...

Welcome to my first blog post that explores fundamental principles of electrical engineering and attempts to tease out some new insights. For many of you, this will be a refresh of concepts you ...