Power Factor Fundamentals

Before we go over a few power factor fundamentals, let me speak from experience and say that money is often spent on industrial plant power factor correction without understanding the limitations of the payback. Similarly, funds are very often misdirected into expensive capital upgrades, when correcting power factor solves the issue. (More on this later, when you know what I'm talking about).

OK, the following three things need to be understood before we can get into explaining Power Factor. The explanations are pretty short. Go take a look and come back.

"The AC Sine Wave"

"Instantaneous AC Values"

- and -

"RMS Values"

Next we need to understand that Power Factor is primarily an AC phenomena. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it can be associated with chopped or oscillating DC circuits, but lets stay basic here... its really an AC thing.

That was easy! The next topic is easy also...."Motor Currents"