What is a capacitor bank, and how does it function in an electrical system?

Описание: Capacitor banks improve power factor by supplying reactive power to offset the inductive load in electrical systems. They reduce the phase difference between voltage and current, minimizing wasted energy, enhancing system efficiency, and reducing electricity costs by avoiding penalties associated with low power factors in industrial and commercial applications.

I can describe how to visualize power factor using a simple graph.

Imagine a graph where the x-axis represents time, and the y-axis represents voltage (V) and current (I) waveforms.

Lagging Power Factor (Inductive Load): Now, consider an inductive load like an electric motor. In this case, the current waveform lags behind the voltage waveform. The current peaks and zero-crosses after the voltage does, creating a phase difference. This results in a distorted waveform, with current lagging behind voltage. The power factor is less than 1 (typically around 0.7-0.9 for many inductive loads).

Overall Power Factor Correction: To correct a lagging power factor (e.g., inductive load), you might introduce capacitors (capacitor bank). The effect would be a shifting of the current waveform so that it aligns more closely with the voltage waveform, approaching a power factor of 1.