Power factor correction question

Hi

If I understand your question correctly, your meter is actually submetering from the main division meter. As such, and since you are stating you do not pay any penalties, your portion of the bill will not change. However, your main main division meter will be savings some dollars as a result of two factors. First, they will save the kwh consumption resulting from the I2R losses in your 7KMS of your power distribution lines. Second, the power factor of your main facility should improve somewhat, therefore the penalty that they should be paying presently will most likely be reduced.

I hope the above provides some light.

Regards,

Luis from PR

Most people above are right. Your billing will not change much if you place the PF compensation at your feeder. Although, you might save some money if your equipment are dispersed over a large site and that you compensate directly at the major load(s). In this case you would save on the distribution losses of a few percent at most. Since the power meter is located at your end of the line, you don't pay for the 7Km line losses but the mill is. They should be interested in paying for some of the upgrade as they will save some money.

The type of load and the long distance from the sub-station command caution in selecting any compensation scheme. Do not target a power factor above 0.85-0.9 because of the risk of going leading and resonating with the feeder. You might have to add de-tuning inductors to the banks to prevent parallel resonances and reduce switching transients. Also, in such a harsh environment, specify a capacitor voltage higher than the line's voltage. This will cost a little more but will increase the capacitors' life dramatically.

If your PF is changing quickly with large swings, you might need to consider fast capacitor switches with a rapid controller. This will correct the power factor within a fraction of a second and improve the voltage regulation of your site. These do a good job in industries with impulsive loads or welding.