Power Factor Panel Problem

I guess you are following two part tariff and demand charges are reduced after installing the PF bank.The improved reactive power compensation and voltage stability will improve the efficiency and stability of your power system. I hope the reactive power compensation is done with correct calculation, if it goes wrong also it wont effect active power but reactive power is supplied back to incoming supply making your demand charges high. There is no way of increase in active power charges provided your system was healthy before PFC.

I fear you have unfortunately fallen victim to one of the biggest scams going on out there, that being the pitch that says you will save ENERGY with power factor correction,. It is a lie. You have been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous sales person.

As hithuanand said in his previous post, you may realize some MONEY savings if your tariff system was penalizing you for low power factor, so hopefully you will at least get that benefit.

But if you installed what is called "Bulk PF Correction" as it appears you did, and it is over-correcting the PF, you can in fact over excite motors and cause them to use more energy in the form of heat. Another one that is becoming a more common problem now is the bulk capacitors interacting with capacitor based equipment, such as power supplies, AC and Dc drives, UPS systems etc. This is the primary risk of bulk correction.

A better approach would have been to thoroughly investigate the source of lagging PF contribution and correct it at each specific load, such as any large inductive motors, switching on just enough PF capacitor VARs to correct that particular motor contribution ONLY when it is running. But that is hind sight now.

Does your automatic system have some sort of sensing of the VARs and is stepping in multiple stages of capacitor banks in response? If so, might it be improperly commissioned and is over correcting?

thnx man I think it is over correcting the problem is using the Ampere meter I have witnessed about 15% savings in Ampere how it could be a scam?

1KWHr = 1KWHr

The only saving to be made is if you're on a tariff that penalises poor power factor. By improving the PF you escape the penalties. Over correction puts you back in the same situation as under correction, you get penalised.

The ammeter is not giving a true reflection of power used.

Therealabdo

quote "The problem is that in total active power the situation is different the number show no saving but exactly the opposite -total power 2400 kwh(before) to 3700 kwh (after)"

You should have recorded the power factor(PF) prior to installing the capacitors. If so, list the KVA and KW demand and PF before and after the installation. Also provide the size of the capacitor bank installed. As JRaef said, you may have over corrected. If you can list this information we can check the installation. The caps will not affect the KWH usage to any great amount. I am a little confused as to how you measured the KWH reduction. KWH's are measured over a given time period.

Thnx guys u were very helpful..... Actually I am a Telecom engineer that's why these info u have supplied me are really helpful....... Anyway I have attached 2 power meters, one before the PF and one after it (the PF is installed in parallel with the load)...... here is the readings i got after a while..... Power meter 1 / Power meter 2 Kwh T1 13.7 / 77.0 Kwh T2 11.2 / 63.43 Kwh T3 1.4 / 9.89 Kwh T4 1.089 / 3.7 Kvar 23.45 / 22.5 Kvar 42.0 / 0.319 kw 0.165 / 0.732 A 1.2 / 0.92 A 1.775 / 1.205 V 1.2 / 1.02 Power Meter 1: On the load Power meter 2: On the source , where the saving should be ..... Actually I don't know if it is a scam but I have seen the measurements on a power meter (the company supplied me) and I saw an energy saving ..... u may check this as was introduced to me http://basantec.com/demo.html ....... check the readings

i am totally lost with the way you provided the data.

Richo

sorry I am new here...and after I have posted it i realized the the button ENTER in not being taken in this forum as JUMP TO A NEW LINE :(

therealabdo,

Just accept the fact you've been conned, duped, fiddled, taken for a ride.

:D ... I was clever enough..actually I am paying nothing..I would pay them by the savings the would cause for me.... I have approximately a constant electricity bill around 2000 $...if my bill comes lower than this number with the same production they takes the savings for about 1.5 year.. I am loosing nothing..but I am curios :D

Therealabdo,

I looked into the website of Basantec (www.basantec.com) and curious about the APSS (Active Power Savings System) product. I never heard this technology before. In this website, the technology described as "APSS is equipped with capacitors that have been put through the process of an Ionic treatment, with a combination of special components and resources, which creates: (1) Superconductivity removing impurities and defects in the cabling network. (2) Negative resistance, which acts as a power source to the electric network".

This is not simply the capacitor bank, works a source of power – no idea where the energy is coming from.

It seems you have the contract with them to see the real savings first and pay if it is really beneficial. There is nothing to loose from your side. Could you please come back with the result and share your experience with this product.

Is anybody else familiar to this technology?

- MS

thnx man I really have done that..no paying till i see saving :D and now i am doing my own experiments..I will keep u updated

You talk about amperes and Kwh, they are two very different readings, the Kwh will increase as long as you are drawing current as it it measuring the amount of power you are using over a period of time

I suspect that you have your power meter wired incorrectly. Make sure that the voltage and current sensors for corresponding phases are on the same wires and that it is configured properly.

This capacitor bank should reduce the current, the KVARs, and the KVA but the power is not likely to change if the line voltage is almost the same.

The other possibility for increased power if your meters are connected properly is a large increase in line voltage that would increase the power consumption of heaters, lights and motors. Check the line voltage with and without the capacitor bank.

"APSS is equipped with capacitors that have been put through the process of an Ionic treatment, with a combination of special components and resources, which creates: (1) Superconductivity removing impurities and defects in the cabling network. (2) Negative resistance, which acts as a power source to the electric network".

I think we're familiar enough now... . What a hoot!

Do you have a Better Business Bureau and/or Consumer Protection Division in your locale?