POWER IN AC CIRCUITS

1. Power in resistive and reactive AC circuits

2. True, Reactive, and Apparent power .

3. Power Triangle

4. Calculating power factor .

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 INTRODUCTION
For any system, the power delivered to a load at any instant is defined by the product of the
applied voltage and the resulting current; that is
p = vi
In this case, since v and i are sinusoidal quantities, let us establish a general case where

The chosen v and i include all possibilities because, if the load is purely resistive, θ = 0°. If the
load is purely inductive or capacitive, θ = 90° or θ = - 90°, respectively. For a network that is
primarily inductive, v is positive (v leads i), and for a network that is primarily capacitive, v is
negative (i leads v).

Substituting the above equations for v and i into the power equation will result in

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If we now apply a number of trigonometric identities, the following form for the power equation
will result:

where V and I are the rms values. The conversion from peak values Vm and Im to rms values
resulted from the operations performed using the trigonometric identities.

In an effort to ensure completeness and order in presentation, each

basic element (R, L, and C) will be treated.

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 Power in resistive and reactive AC circuits

Consider the following purley resistive AC circuit

For a purely resistive circuit, v and i are in phase,

Because this load is purely resistive (no reactance), the current is in phase with the voltage,
and calculations look similar to that in an equivalent DC circuit.

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If we were to plot the voltage, current, and power
waveforms for this circuit, it would look like

Note that the waveform for power is always

positive, never negative for this resistive circuit.
This means that power is always being
dissipated by the resistive load, and never
returned to the source as it is with reactive
loads.

Also note that the waveform for power is not at the same frequency as the voltage or current.
Rather, its frequency is double that of either the voltage or current waveforms.
the best way to proceed with AC power calculations is to use scalar notation, and to handle any
relevant phase relationships with trigonometry

the total power delivered to a resistor will be dissipated in the form of heat.

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Example
Consider a circuit for a single-phase AC power system, where a 120 volt, 60 Hz AC
voltage source is delivering power to a resistive load:

The power dissipated at the load would be 240 watts.

The calculations look similar to that in an equivalent DC circuit.

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For a purely inductive circuit, v leads i by 90°,

The net flow of power to the pure (ideal)

inductor is zero over a full cycle, and no
energy is lost in the transaction.

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For a purely capacitive circuit, i leads v by 90°. Therefore

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Now, let’s consider an AC circuit with a load consisting of both inductance and resistance
in the Figure

We know reactive components dissipate zero power, as they equally

absorb power from, and return power to, the rest of the circuit.
Therefore, any inductive reactance in this load will likewise dissipate
zero power. The only thing left to dissipate power here is the
resistive portion of the load impedance
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If we look at the waveform plot of voltage, current, and total power for this circuit, we see how
this combination works in the Figure

 As with any reactive circuit, the power alternates between positive and negative
instantaneous values over time.
 In a purely reactive circuit that alternation between positive and negative power is equally
divided, resulting in a net power dissipation of zero.
 In circuits with mixed resistance and reactance like this one, the power waveform will still
alternate between positive and negative, but the amount of positive power will exceed the
amount of negative power.

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 True, Reactive, and Apparent power
True power : 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) .
And is a function of a circuit’s dissipative elements, usually resistances (R)

reactive 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 is called reactive power, and it is measured in a
unit called Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR), rather than watts.
And is a function of a circuit’s reactance (X). (symbolized by the capital letter Q, as always)

apparent power : 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. Apparent power is a function of a circuit’s total impedance (Z)

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 2 E2
P =true power P=I R P
R
Measured in units of Watts

Q = reactive power Q=I X

2

Measured in units of Volt-Amps-Reactive (VAR)

S = apparent power s = I2 Z S =IE

Measured in units of Volt-Amps (VA)
Example Example

Example

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 The "Power Triangle"
These three types of power - true, reactive, and
apparent- (as in fig.) are trigonometrically
related to one another.
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
In a right triangle,
P = adjacent length,
Q = opposite length, and
S = hypotenuse length. T
the opposite angle is equal to the circuit’s
impedance (Z) phase angle.

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 Calculating power factor
Power Factor: the ratio between true power and apparent power is called the power factor for
this circuit.

As was mentioned before, the angle of this “power triangle” graphically indicates the ratio
between the amount of dissipated (or consumed) power and the amount of absorbed/returned
power. It also happens to be the same angle as that of the circuit’s impedance in polar form.

Because true power and apparent power form the adjacent and hypotenuse sides of a right
triangle, respectively, the power factor ratio is also equal to the cosine of that phase
angle.

Using values from the last example circuit:

unitless quantity.

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For the purely resistive circuit, the power factor is 1 (perfect), because
the reactive power equals zero. Here, the power triangle would look
like a horizontal line, because the opposite (reactive power) side would
have zero length.
For the purely inductive circuit, the power factor is zero, because true power equals
zero. Here, the power triangle would look like a vertical line, because the adjacent
(true power) side would have zero length.

The same could be said for a purely capacitive circuit. If there are no
dissipative (resistive) components in the circuit, then the true power
must be equal to zero, making any power in the circuit purely reactive.
The power triangle for a purely capacitive circuit would again be a
vertical line (pointing down instead of up as it was for the purely
inductive circuit).
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Example Let’s use a rounded capacitor value of 22 μF and see what happens to our circuit:

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