Power Factor Corrector

Sunil Kumar
This project discusses the need for power factor correction and provides a suitable DIY
solution that could be used for small-scale industries and establishments.
When voltage and current are in phase with each other in an AC circuit, the electrical energy
drawn from the source gets fully converted into another form of energy and the power
factor (cosine of angle between voltage and current waveform) is said to be unity (or 100
per cent). This happens with purely resistive loads. With inductive loads, the voltage and
current do not remain in phase and the power factor drops.

Fig. 1: The power factor correction circuit

As the power factor drops, the system becomes less efficient. A drop from unity to 0.9 (90
per cent) in the power factor results in 15 per cent more current requirement for the same
load. A power factor of 0.7 (70 per cent) requires approximately 43 per cent more current.
In industrial units and establishments, most of the loads are electrical motors and airconditioning units. These loads are inductive in nature, where the current lags the applied
voltage and the power factor is termed as lagging power factor. With capacitive loads, the
current leads the voltage and the power factor is termed as leading power factor. The

objective therefore should be to neutralise the lagging power factor of inductive loads by
connecting capacitors across the load, which have leading power factor.
By improving the power factor you can save money on
your electricity bill and also derive the following
benefits:
1. Reduction of heating losses in transformers and
distribution equipment
2. Longer equipment life
3. Increase in the capacity of your existing system
and equipment.
While power factor correction is required for efficient
use of electrical power, over correction of power factor
is not recommended. In this project, over correction is
not considered; we have considered power factors
between 60 per cent and 90 per cent only due to
inductive loads.
Circuit and working
Fig. 1 shows the circuit of a microcontroller-based power factor corrector. The circuit is built
around PIC16F877A microcontroller (IC1), 230V AC primary to 9V, 300mA secondary
transformer (X1), current transformer (X2), three relays (RL1-RL3), a 16x2 LCD display
(LCD1) and a few other components.

Fig. 2: Configuration bits

Microcontroller PIC16F877A. Microcontroller PIC16F877A is the heart of the circuit. It is
used to detect the phase difference between voltage and current in the AC mains supply
line. It also connects the power factor correction (PFC) capacitor across the inductive load
through a relay as explained below.
IC1 is a low-power, high-performance, CMOS 8-bit microcontroller. Its main features are 8kB
Flash memory, 256-byte EEPROM, 368-byte RAM, 33 input/output (I/O) pins, 10-bit 8channel analogue-to-digital converter (ADC), three timers, a watchdog timer with its own
on-chip oscillator for reliable operation and synchronous I2C interface.
IC1s port pins RB0 through RB7 are connected to D0 though D7 of LCD1. Port pins RD5,
RD6 and RD7 of IC1 are connected to control pins register select (RS), read/write (R/W)
and enable (EN) of LCD1, respectively. Port pins RC4 through RC6 are used to control relays
RL1 through RL3, respectively.

In this project, three different PFC capacitors are used to connect across the inductive load
through RL1, RL2 and RL3 relays. If power factor is between 60 per cent and 70 per cent,
RL1 is energized. RL2 is energized if power factor is over 70 per cent but within 80 per cent
and RL3 for power factor above 80 per cent but within 90 per cent.

Fig. 3: An actual-size,
Fig. 4: Component layout
single-side PCB for the
for the PCB
PFC
Download the PCB & Component Layout
pdf: Click Here
Download Source Code: Click Here
When port pin RC4 of IC1 goes high, transistor
T3 conducts and relay RL1 gets energized. This
makes a PFC capacitor to connect across the
inductive load to neutralise the lagging power
factor. Similarly, port pin RC5 and RC6 can
control relays RL2 and RL3 to neutralise the
lagging power factor.
A 4MHz crystal oscillator is connected to pins 13

and 14 of IC1 to provide the basic clock frequency. Power-on reset is provided by the
combination of resistor R1 and capacitor C1. Switch S1 is used for manual reset of the
microcontroller. Port pins RA0 and RA1 of IC1 receive the zero-crossing detection pulses of
voltage and current, respectively.
Zero-crossing detection. The zero-crossing is the instantaneous point in an AC waveform
at which there is no voltage present. In this circuit, two zero-crossing detectors are
employed to get the phase angle of voltage and current. First zero-crossing detector
(comprising X1, BR1, T1 and ZD1) is used for detecting the point where the voltage crosses
zero in either direction of the sinusoidal AC signals (positive and negative cycles).
The mains voltage of 230V AC is stepped down by transformer X1 to deliver a secondary
output of 9V. The transformer output is rectified by full-wave bridge rectifier BR1 and
applied to the base of transistor T1 through resistor R6. Capacitor C4 charges to its
maximum value through diode D4 and provides supply to collector of transistor T1. Zener
diode ZD1 regulates the voltage to 5.1V which is suitable for microcontroller input.
When rectified output transits through zero, T1 becomes off and its collector goes high. The
detected voltage pulse is applied to port pin RA0 of IC1.
Similarly, zero-crossing detection for current is done through current transformer X2, bridge
rectifier BR2, transistor T2 and zener diode ZD2. The current sample is rectified by bridge
rectifier BR2. When rectified output goes through zero, a pulse is generated and applied to
port pin RA1 of IC1.
The time difference between the voltage and the current pulses is calculated by the program
embedded in the microcontroller. The power factor value is then calculated and displayed on
the LCD. By knowing the value of power factor, we can calculate the value of PFC capacitor
required.
PFC capacitor value. For neutralising the inductive reactance, we need to determine the
value of PFC capacitor, including its kilo-voltampere-reactive (kVAR) rating, which needs to be
connected across the load. There are various
methods to determine the corrective (leading)
reactive power (kVAR) rating. Here we present a
very simple method to know the kVAR in two
steps:
1. Measure the RMS line voltage (line-to-neutral
for single-phase load) and RMS line current. Power
factor is already displaying on the LCD. For a
single-phase system:
kW = volts amps PF/1000
2. Now determine the corrective (leading) reactive
power (kVAR) needed for obtaining the desired PF by multiplying the kW value, as found
above, with the selected value of power factor multiplier from Table I (intersection point of
original PF in column 1 and the desired PF). For example, if the total plant load is 100kW at
60 per cent power factor. Capacitor kVAR rating necessary to improve power factor to 90 per
cent is found by multiplying kW (100) by the 0.849 multiplier in the table, which gives
84.9kVAR, or roughly 85kVAR. The standard PF capacitor rating nearest to 85kVAR should
be used.

Software
The program is written in C language and compiled using HI-TECH compiler along with
MPLAB to generate hex code. The generated hex code is burnt into the microcontroller using
suitable programmer with configuration bit setting as shown in Fig. 2. Program is well
commented and easy to understand.
When the system is switched on, the main program initiates the LCD. Depending on the
power factor across the load the PF is too low message will be displayed in the first line and
power factor value, say, PF=56.70 per cent, in the second line of the LCD. Timer starts
when a positive-going pulse is received at port pin RA0 and stops when port pin RA1
receives positive-going pulse. This timer count is converted to radians. Cosine value of the
radians is the original power factor displayed on the LCD. One of the Port C pins (RC4, RC5
or RC6depending on the power factor) goes high and energises the corresponding relay to
connect the respective PFC capacitor across the load.
Construction and testing
An actual-size, single-side PCB for the PFC circuit is shown in Fig. 3 and its component
layout in Fig. 4. Assemble the circuit on the recommended PCB to save time and minimize
assembly errors. Carefully assemble the components and double-check for any overlooked
error. Use proper IC base for the microcontroller.
Connect transformer X1 to the same AC mains supply where the load (motor) is connected.
Connect the secondary terminals of current transformer X2 to the circuit. Power supply
cable of the load should pass through the current transformer as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5: Current transformer

Fig. 6: Block diagram of PFC capacitor connections

When you power on the circuit, the LCD will show the original or existing power factor value.
You can find out the value of PFC capacitor as indicated above. The PFC capacitors and the
load are to be connected externally. The PFC capacitor is connected across the load through
the relay contact as shown in Fig. 6. Extend two-wire cable from the dotted line, as shown
in the block diagram, to the respective connector on the PCB.
To test the circuit for proper functioning, verify the correct 12V and 5V supplies in the circuit
at TP1 and TP2 with respect to TP0. Refer test points Table II for checking at various points
in the circuit.