Scribd
Upload
97 views4 pages

True Reactive and Apparent Power

The document discusses true power, reactive power, and apparent power in electrical circuits. True power is the actual power dissipated and measured in watts. Reactive power is not actually dissipated but causes voltage and current changes in reactive components like inductors and capacitors, measured in volt-amperes-reactive. Apparent power is the total power measured in volt-amperes and is the combination of true and reactive power. These three powers are trigonometrically related using a power triangle with true power as the adjacent side, reactive power as the opposite side, and apparent power as the hypotenuse.

Uploaded by

Felix Ruiz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
97 views4 pages

True Reactive and Apparent Power

The document discusses true power, reactive power, and apparent power in electrical circuits. True power is the actual power dissipated and measured in watts. Reactive power is not actually dissipated but causes voltage and current changes in reactive components like inductors and capacitors, measured in volt-amperes-reactive. Apparent power is the total power measured in volt-amperes and is the combination of true and reactive power. These three powers are trigonometrically related using a power triangle with true power as the adjacent side, reactive power as the opposite side, and apparent power as the hypotenuse.

Uploaded by

Felix Ruiz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

True, Reactive, and Apparent power

True, Reactive, and Apparent power


We know that reactive loads such as inductors and capacitors dissipate zero power, yet
the fact that they drop voltage and draw current gives the deceptive impression that they
actually do dissipate power. This phantom power is called reactive power, and it is
measured in a unit called Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR), rather than watts. The
mathematical symbol for reactive power is (unfortunately) the capital letter Q. The actual
amount of power being used, or dissipated, in a circuit is called true power, and it is
measured in watts (symbolized by the capital letter P, as always). The combination of
reactive power and true power is called apparent power, and it is the product of a circuit's
voltage and current, without reference to phase angle. Apparent power is measured in
the unit of Volt-Amps (VA) and is symbolized by the capital letter S.
As a rule, true power is a function of a circuit's dissipative elements, usually resistances
(R). Reactive power is a function of a circuit's reactance (X). Apparent power is a function
of a circuit's total impedance (Z). Since we're dealing with scalar quantities for power
calculation, any complex starting quantities such as voltage, current, and impedance
must be represented by their polar magnitudes, not by real or imaginary rectangular
components. For instance, if I'm calculating true power from current and resistance, I
must use the polar magnitude for current, and not merely the real or imaginary
portion of the current. If I'm calculating apparent power from voltage and impedance,
both of these formerly complex quantities must be reduced to their polar magnitudes for
the scalar arithmetic.
There are several power equations relating the three types of power to resistance,
reactance, and impedance (all using scalar quantities):

Please note that there are two equations each for the calculation of true and reactive
power. There are three equations available for the calculation of apparent power, P=IE
being useful only for that purpose. Examine the following circuits and see how these
three types of power interrelate for: a purely resistive load in Figure below, a purely
reactive load in Figure below, and a resistive/reactive load in Figure below.
Resistive load only:

True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a purely resistive load.
Reactive load only:

True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a purely reactive load.
Resistive/reactive load:

True power, reactive power, and apparent power for a resistive/reactive load.
These three types of power -- true, reactive, and apparent -- relate to one another in
trigonometric form. We call this the power triangle: (Figure below).

Power triangle relating appearant power to true power and reactive power.
Using the laws of trigonometry, we can solve for the length of any side (amount of any
type of power), given the lengths of the other two sides, or the length of one side and an
angle.

REVIEW:
Power dissipated by a load is referred to as true power. True power is
symbolized by the letter P and is measured in the unit of Watts (W).
Power merely absorbed and returned in load due to its reactive properties is
referred to as reactive power. Reactive power is symbolized by the letter Q and is
measured in the unit of Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR).
Total power in an AC circuit, both dissipated and absorbed/returned is referred
to as apparent power. Apparent power is symbolized by the letter S and is
measured in the unit of Volt-Amps (VA).
These three types of power are trigonometrically related to one another. In a
right triangle, P = adjacent length, Q = opposite length, and S = hypotenuse
length. The opposite angle is equal to the circuit's impedance (Z) phase angle.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy