For the firearms cartridge ranking system, see Power factor (shooting sports).
In electrical engineering, the power factor of an AC power system is defined as the ratio of the real power absorbed by the load to the apparent power flowing in the circuit. Real power is the average of the instantaneous product of voltage and current and represents the capacity of the electricity for performing work. Apparent power is the product of root mean square (RMS) current and voltage. Due to energy stored in the load and returned to the source, or due to a non-linear load that distorts the wave shape of the current drawn from the source, the apparent power may be greater than the real power, so more current flows in the circuit than would be required to transfer real power alone. A power factor magnitude of less than one indicates the voltage and current are not in phase, reducing the average product of the two. A negative power factor occurs when the device (which is normally the load) generates real power, which then flows back towards the source.
In an electric power system, a load with a low power factor draws more current than a load with a high power factor for the same amount of useful power transferred. The larger currents increase the energy lost in the distribution system and require larger wires and other equipment. Because of the costs of larger equipment and wasted energy, electrical utilities will usually charge a higher cost to industrial or commercial customers where there is a low power factor.
Power-factor correction increases the power factor of a load, improving efficiency for the distribution system to which it is attached. Linear loads with a low power factor (such as induction motors) can be corrected with a passive network of capacitors or inductors. Non-linear loads, such as rectifiers, distort the current drawn from the system. In such cases, active or passive power factor correction may be used to counteract the distortion and raise the power factor. The devices for correction of the power factor may be at a central substation, spread out over a distribution system, or built into power-consuming equipment.
engineering, the powerfactor of an AC power system is defined as the ratio of the real power absorbed by the load to the apparent power flowing in the...
the powerfactor in electric power transmission; capacitors (or inductors) are inserted in a circuit to partially compensate for reactive power 'consumed'...
electrical fault, power conditioning to prevent electronic noise or voltage surges on the input from reaching the load, power-factor correction, and storing...
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or uninterruptible power source is a type of continual power system that provides automated backup electric power to a load...
phase. With DC sources, reactive circuits have no impact, therefore powerfactor correction is not necessary. For a circuit to be modelled with an ideal...
considerations, power systems are rarely powerfactor corrected to unity powerfactor. Power capacitor application with harmonic currents requires power system...
larger sizes) and it can operate at leading or unity powerfactor and thereby provide power-factor correction.[citation needed] Synchronous motors fall...
dissipation factor due to the non-ideal capacitor is expressed as the ratio of the resistive power loss in the ESR to the reactive power oscillating in...
leads to the lead-acid car battery. In electric power distribution, capacitors are used for powerfactor correction. Such capacitors often come as three...
relevant period. The capacity factor can be calculated for any electricity producing installation, such as a fuel consuming power plant or one using renewable...
stemming from the amount of gunpowder). Thus, the powerfactor in a way reflects recoil. The powerfactor must exceed certain thresholds, and is calculated...
the flexible AC transmission system device family, regulating voltage, powerfactor, harmonics and stabilizing the system. A static VAR compensator has no...
Smith charts. Powerfactor correction devices are intended to cancel the reactive and nonlinear characteristics of a load at the end of a power line. This...
of the crest factor. When expressed in decibels, crest factor and PAPR are equivalent, due to the way decibels are calculated for power ratios vs amplitude...
is a tongue-in-cheek play on electronics jargon such as "form factor" and "powerfactor" and derives from the stereotype that men are predisposed to appreciate...
{\displaystyle {\text{(reactive power)}}={\text{(apparent power)}}\sin \theta } The ratio of real power to apparent power is called powerfactor and is a number always...
they wish, as long as the powerfactor requirements are satisfied. Multigun in general has fewer division specific powerfactor requirements than USPSA/IPSC...
are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by an independent low-power signal, or where several circuits must be controlled by one signal. Relays...
leads to the lead–acid car battery. In electric power distribution, capacitors are used for power-factor correction. Such capacitors often come as three...
governments, which the outer races never have possessed. The temperate zone as powerfactor remained widely stressed in the modern research. In fact, all modern...
in cold locations. Additionally, the circuit powerfactor is almost 1.0, and no additional powerfactor correction is needed in the lighting installation...
within a data structure Load factor (electrical), the average power divided by the peak power over a period of time Capacity factor, the ratio of actual energy...
than most other power stations per energy produced. Wind farms sited offshore have less visual impact and have higher capacity factors, although they are...
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