Effect of Power Factor Correction in Fuel Consumption

Agreed. Slight, but not great, improvement in fuel consumption. One could compute the I²R losses owing to the excess current, and thereby estimate how much fuel is allocated to those losses compared to the load.

The addition of capacitor banks for power correction will not reduce fuel usage significantly...The secret to fuel economy is to run the generator in it's sweet spot, which is generally 2/3 to 3/4 loaded....so the % loaded is the most important factor...

"What is the difference between kW and kVa?

The primary difference between kW (kilowatt) and kVA (kilovolt-ampere) is the power factor. kW is the unit of real power and kVA is a unit of apparent power (or real power plus re-active power). The power factor, unless it is defined and known, is therefore an approximate value (typically 0.8), and the kVA value will always be higher than the value for kW.

In relation to industrial and commercial generators, kW is most commonly used when referring to generators in the United States, and a few other countries that use 60 Hz, while the majority of the rest of the world typically uses kVa as the primary value when referencing generator sets.

To expand on it a bit more, the kW rating is essentially the resulting power output a generator can supply based on the horsepower of an engine. kW is figured by the horsepower rating of the engine times .746. For example if you have a 500 horsepower engine it has a kW rating of 373. The kilovolt-amperes (kVa) are the generator end capacity. Generator sets are usually shown with both ratings. To determine the kW and kVa ratio the formula below is used.

.8 (pf) x 625 (kVa) = 500 kW

What is a power factor?
The power factor (pf) is typically defined as the ratio between kilowatts (kW) and kilovolt amps (kVa) that is drawn from an electrical load, as was discussed in the question above in more detail. It is determined by the generators connected load. The pf on the nameplate of a generator relates the kVa to the kW rating (see formula above). Generators with higher power factors more efficiently transfer energy to the connected load, while generators with a lower power factor are not as efficient and result in increased power costs. The standard power factor for a three phase generator is .8. "

http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/Generator_Faq.aspx

http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/Power_Calculator.aspx#kvatokw

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=310797

See, I told you starting your own thread, instead of asking questions on a 5 year old thread would get you some intelligent answers.

Make sure you respond to those that try and answer your question, nothing is more frustrating when answers are given and no one ever hears from the O.P. again.

By the way, welcome to CR4.

Hhhhhhhhh, Thx

Okay, but electrical power is obtained from mechanical power & reactive power is reduced so some mechanical power is reduced which will reduce the prime mover consumption is reduced.

That argument reminds me of the Dirac Catastrophe, spiraling into the sun. Can't you simply make an engine run?

Thx friends, good answers

Er, power factor correction is about better matching the load to the supply so as to overcome cable sizing and heat dissipation issues...