Consumers are encouraged to improve the power factor of their plant by installing power factor correction equipment.
One common method of power factor correction is to install capacitors either individually to each motor or collectively within an automatic bank connected at the incoming supply.
The amount of power factor correction to be installed should be carefully assessed to give the lowest overall cost to the consumer. Scotts Electrical Services carry out load management surveys to ascertain the correct amount of correction required. Computer printouts of the load survey would be produced for the client showing the maximum power used at the lowest power factor both graphically & numerically.
As technology increases and we install more and more variable speed drives within our factories we are producing excessive harmonic currents causing both current and voltage distortion within the network. When standard capacitors are installed within the factory they offer low impedance to any higher frequency currents flowing through them and will amplify the effect of harmonic currents flowing into other parts of the network.
Whilst Scotts carries out the load management surveys we also check for harmonic distortion within the network. On discovering harmonics which are higher than the supply authorities recommendation (document G.5/3) we can offer two alternatives:
A detuned capacitor bank – which eliminates 10-30% of harmonic distortion from the network, and also protects the capacitors from collapse.
A filtered capacitor bank – which eliminates 80-90% of harmonic distortion from the network, and also protects the capacitors from collapse.