8. Apparent power and Power Factor

Apparent Power and Power Factor

• Apparent is easy to identify.
• is symbolized by the capital letter S.
• it is also measured in Volt-Amps (VA).
• it is the product of a circuit's voltage and current, without reference to phase angle.

• Power Factor - defined as PF = P/S.
• In sinusoidal, PF is cosine of the phase difference between the voltage and current.

 These three types of power -- true, reactive, and apparent -- relate to one another in trigonometric form. We call this the power triangle:

Steps to Solve POWER FACTOR

• Power dissipated by a load is referred to as true power. True power is symbolized by the letter P and is measured in the unit of Watts (W).
• Power merely absorbed and returned in load due to its reactive properties is referred to as reactive power. Reactive power is symbolized by the letter Q and is measured in the unit of Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR).
• Total power in an AC circuit, both dissipated and absorbed/returned is referred to as apparent power. Apparent power is symbolized by the letter S and is measured in the unit of Volt-Amps (VA).
• These three types of power are trigonometrically related to one another. In a right triangle, P = adjacent length, Q = opposite length, and S = hypotenuse length. The opposite angle is equal to the circuit's impedance (Z) phase angle.