Automatic power factor correction system
First Claim
1. A power factor correction apparatus for power factor correcting an electrical installation including a power line having coupled thereto a load drawing AC electrical power including a potentially variable level of reactive power, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) power sensor circuitry coupled to said power line and operative to detect an electrical parameter of electrical power drawn by said load which indicates a phase relationship of voltage and current of said power;
(b) a plurality of reactance elements;
(c) switching circuitry controllable to couple said reactance elements to said power line individually or in selected combinations; and
(d) a controller interfaced to said power sensor circuitry and said switching circuitry and operative, in response to a level of said phase relationship indicated by said electrical parameter, to cause said switching circuitry to couple an appropriate combination of said reactance elements to said power line to thereby minimize said phase relationship indicated by said electrical parameter.
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Abstract
An automatic power factor correction system, for an electrical power installation drawing varying levels of reactive power, measures an electrical parameter of the power drawn by a load of a power installation which is capable of indicating a level of reactive power drawn by the load and couples a combination of capacitors to the power line to compensate for the level of reactive power indicated by the electrical parameter measured. In particular, the system measures the phase angle of the power drawn and calculates a combination of capacitors to connect to the power line to compensate for a measured level of reactive power.
128 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A power factor correction apparatus for power factor correcting an electrical installation including a power line having coupled thereto a load drawing AC electrical power including a potentially variable level of reactive power, said apparatus comprising:
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(a) power sensor circuitry coupled to said power line and operative to detect an electrical parameter of electrical power drawn by said load which indicates a phase relationship of voltage and current of said power;
(b) a plurality of reactance elements;
(c) switching circuitry controllable to couple said reactance elements to said power line individually or in selected combinations; and
(d) a controller interfaced to said power sensor circuitry and said switching circuitry and operative, in response to a level of said phase relationship indicated by said electrical parameter, to cause said switching circuitry to couple an appropriate combination of said reactance elements to said power line to thereby minimize said phase relationship indicated by said electrical parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for power factor correcting an electrical power installation including a power line having coupled thereto a load drawing AC electrical power including a potentially variable level of reactive power, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring a phase value substantially proportional to an electrical phase angle between voltage and current of said electrical power drawn by said load by detecting a sequence of respective zero crossing points of said voltage and current, measuring a time interval between said zero crossing points, and scaling said time interval to said phase angle;
(b) automatically calculating a compensating reactance value to minimize said electrical phase angle of said electrical power; and
(c) automatically controlling coupling to said power line a combination of capacitors to result in a reactance value substantially comparable to said compensating reactance value. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for power factor correcting an electrical power installation including a power line having coupled thereto a load drawing AC electrical power including a potentially variable level of reactive power, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring a phase value substantially proportional to an electrical phase angle between voltage and current of said electrical power drawn by said load by the steps of;
(1) detecting a sequence of respective zero crossing points of said voltage and current;
(2) measuring a time interval between said zero crossing points; and
(3) scaling said time interval to said phase angle;
(b) automatically calculating a compensating reactance value to minimize said electrical phase angle of said electrical power;
(c) providing a plurality of capacitors;
(d) providing a controller including a digital port formed by a specific plurality of port terminals and switching circuitry including latching elements which couple said capacitors to specific ones of said port terminals; and
(e) said controller automatically controlling coupling to said power line a combination of capacitors to result in a reactance value substantially comparable to said compensating reactance value by writing to said port a multiple bit binary word having a bit content corresponding to said appropriate combination of said capacitors. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification