Automatic power factor correction
The growing energy requirements and shortage of electricity highly demands avoiding power wastage including line losses. As load variations constantly occur in power systems, therefore, power factor (pf) correction (e.g. using capacitors) is highly necessary for reducing these losses. Power factor i
2025-06-28 16:30:27 - Adil Khan
Automatic power factor correction
Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject Summary Project OverviewThe growing energy requirements and shortage of electricity highly demands avoiding power wastage including line losses. As load variations constantly occur in power systems, therefore, power factor (pf) correction (e.g. using capacitors) is highly necessary for reducing these losses. Power factor is actually the measure of that energy which is actually been utilized from the available energy. It gets maximum value of unity. As power factor value is near to unity it means that energy loss is minimum. In technical terms, the ratio of active power to the reactive or imaginary power is called power factor. It is actually the measure of phase difference between voltage and current. Inductive loads are having low power factor, however almost all loads which we use have low power factor than unity. In this project, a prototype for automatic power factor correction using the 8-bit AVR microcontroller Atmega328 has been developed. Capacitors, used in the hardware design, are auto adjusted depending on the load variations. There many others method to improve automatic power factor like Sync: Motor and Buck Boost Converter.
Additional FeatureAn additional feature of this prototype is that even a desired value of pf can be entered using the provision (keypad) in the designed hardware. We will enter our desired power factor value like 0.8 then our internal circuitry will decided and compare it with capacitor bank and improve our power factor regarding our desire power factor value.
Project ObjectivesAim of this project is to build an Automatic Power Factor Correction (APFC) Unit, which is able to monitor the energy consumption of a system and automatically improve its power factor by our desired value through keypad (provision).
Project Implementation Method- Literature Review
- Design hardware
- Using Relays And Capacitors
- Using Zero Cross detector for generating Signals
- Different transformers (Voltage and current)
- Software with Microcontroller
- Interfacing of LCD, Keypad with Microcontroller
- Simulation through different software’s
- Modelling
Potential benefits of using the correct energy conditioning method Increase efficiency due to reduced energy consumption. Reduced energy consumption leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Electric utility bill reduction. More KVA availability from the same offer. Reduced I²R losses in Transformers and Distribution Tools.Technical Details of Final Deliverable
In the present innovative upheaval, power is of great significance and the power generation, transmission, and distribution is becoming more and more complicated as time passes. Thus it turns out to be important to deliver every unit of power generated to the consumer with minimum loss. However, with growing number of inductive loads at industries, large variation in load and so forth the losses have additionally elevated manifold. Subsequently, it has turned out to be important to discover the reasons for power losses and improve the efficiency.
Due to extensive use of inductive loads, especially in industries the power factor decreases, due to which load current increases and hence power system efficiency decreases.
Power factor (pf) is calculated by stepping down the line voltage and line current by using instrument transformer. Both the analogue signals are converted to digital signal with the help of zero crossing detector circuit. The signals are fed into summer circuit, the output of which gives the time delay between the voltage and current signals. This output is fed into micro controller which calculates pf with the help of internal timer. After the calculation of pf, the microcontroller switches the required number of capacitors from capacitors bank with help of relay module to achieve unity pf.
By using this technique of adjusting pf automatically we can make our system stable e.g. at industries, at power systems, and at domestic level. Also the efficiency of the system increases. Therefore, this technique reduces total costs for consumers as well as suppliers.
Reactive power which is stored in the magnetic field of the inductive loads is the main cause of low pf. By connecting capacitors bank in parallel to the inductive loads we can improve pf. Power saving issues and reactive power management has led to the development of single phase capacitor banks for domestic and industrial applications. The improvement of this challenge is to enhance and upgrade the operation of single phase capacitor banks by developing a microprocessor based control system. The control unit will be able to control capacitor bank by switching the capacitors one by one when load current varies. Current transformer is used to measure the load current for sampling purposes. The Choke used in the Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) will be used as an Inductive load.
Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry Energy Other IndustriesCore Technology OthersOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Industry, Innovation and InfrastructureRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 11295 | |||
| transformer | Equipment | 3 | 300 | 900 |
| Capacitor Bank | Equipment | 4 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Relays | Equipment | 4 | 400 | 1600 |
| Aurdino | Equipment | 1 | 1200 | 1200 |
| LCD Display | Equipment | 1 | 400 | 400 |
| keypad | Equipment | 1 | 150 | 150 |
| inductive load | Equipment | 1 | 500 | 500 |
| resistive load | Equipment | 1 | 150 | 150 |
| Microcontroller | Equipment | 1 | 550 | 550 |
| switches button | Equipment | 3 | 30 | 90 |
| bread board | Equipment | 3 | 140 | 420 |
| vero board | Equipment | 3 | 45 | 135 |
| Zero cross detector circuit | Equipment | 1 | 1200 | 1200 |