REACTIVE POWER MANAGEMENT When we apply voltage to an electrical gadget it gives rise to current depending upon the resistance.

This is in the case of Direct current. Here current flows in phase with voltage. There is creation of magnetic flux in the air surrounding the circuitry of the gadget but it is not an oscillating flux. This Non-oscillating flux does not induce any voltage in the circuitry. Thus, here; opposition to flow of current is by resistance only. In the case of AC, the voltage applied to a gadget oscillates and so the flux produced in the air surrounding the circuitry oscillates. This introduces in the circuitry a voltage which opposes the main voltage. This phenomenon created as a result of alternating flux is called reactance. Reactance is analogues to resistance and depends on conductor length and coiling. This reactance is apart from the regular resistance which is the nature of all circuits. Impedance a combination of resistance and reactance (vectorial sum ) is always an AC phenomenon.

Current drawn by an inductive circuit with reference to voltage vector

LAGGING O
CURRENT DUE TO INDUCTIVE REACTANCE

VOLTAGE

Inductive reactance In the above vectorial diagram OL is the current flowing in the AC gadget. It can be studied as a vectorial sum of OD and LD. The current OD is in phase with voltage where as the current LD is at 90 electrical degrees lagging with the voltage vector. The Current LD X

voltage is called reactive power requirement of the gadget.

LAGGING
Current drawn by a capacitance circuit with reference to voltage vector

VOLTAGE D
CURRENT DUE TO CAPACITIVE EACTANCE

LEADING

Capactance reactance In the above vectorial diagram OC is the current flowing in the AC capacitance gadget. It can be studied as a vectorial sum of OE and EC. The current OE is in phase with voltage where as the current EC is at 90 electrical degrees leading with the voltage vector. The Current EC X voltage is called reactive power requirement of the gadget. Here it must be remembered that there are no 100% pure resistance \inductance \ capacitance loads. In any electricity board inductive loads are always much more than capacitive loads. If we take the total reactive power requirement of our system it is a case of more and more of inductive power requirement than Capacitive power requirement. Every electricity board provides free of cost the required reactive power but charges for active power only. However in order to limit inductive reactive power requirement of consumer loads, we impose power factor conditions. Every LT electricity consumer is required to ensure a power factor of not less than 0.85 where as every HT electricity consumer is required to ensure a power factor of not less than 0.9. Deviating consumers are penalized.

RECOMMEMDED SHUNT CAPACITORS TO BE PROVODED AT LT INDUSTRIES FOR MAINTAINING A P. F. OF NOT LESS THAN 0.85. SL. H.P As per Board order No . No.KEB\B10\3124\ . 81-82 dated 3-121982. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5 7.5 10 15 20 25 30 40 50 60 1.0 2.0 3.0 5.0 6.0 8.0 9.0 12.0 15.0 18.0

NOTE: This is empirical However the exact P.F. may be arrived and provided after rating of each individual installation. The capacity of the pf correcting equipment and the same actually connected to in the wiring is checked by periodical rating. Every mechanical gadget uses some power After allowing for losses converts the power into required energy where as every ac electrical gadget uses active and reactive power. Reactive power is used up in driving through the self inductance. Active power after allowing for losses converts same into required energy Our generators are designed to produce both active and reactive powers. They are also designed to absorb both active and reactive powers.. But it has been found that the cost of generation and transmission of one unit of reactive power is about 2 to 3 times costlier than that of active power. Besides there is a high burden on our transmission system by transmitting reactive power also. But

fortunately by employment of shunt capacitors we can generate locally our reactive power requirement. In such a scenario our generators are required to generate active power only In karnataka reactive power management is well done at LT and HT industries level. During last year (2007-08) about 100 substations were added, all without any shunt capacitor banks. This was mainly because there was no requirement, as a result of intensive checking and periodical rating of LT and HT power installations AND TAPPING NATURAL GENERATION OF MVAR. Benefits of shunt Capacitors 1. Reducing avoidable losses caused by reactive load current. 2. Reduce kVA demand. 3. Improve voltage profile. 4. Increase revenue or decrease customer energy consumption. Besides our generators are designed to work at power factor of 0.85 lagging to 0.95 leading Besides under ABT if reactive power is drawn from another utility in excess of the allowable limits one has to pay at 4 paise per KVARH for the reactive power drawn. SUBSTATION SHUNT CAPACITORS Power flow studies on 220 KV and below are made by KPTCL (At state load dispatch centers) and shunt capacitors & shunt reactors are installed at appropriate points in sub-stations. The total capacity of shunt capacitors in all our stations: 3500 MVAR (?) For example in A 220 KV station in Rajajinager, Bangaore ,there is a shunt capacitor bank (the 66 KV bus) with a set of 216 single phase capacitors totaling to 20 MVAR. Each capacitor is between phase and earth. The earth terminals of the capacitors are interconnected to form a balanced double star circuit and grounded through a CT. To prevent shooting up of voltages during low load conditions of night hours the capacitor bank is switched off at about 9 pm and switched on the next day at about 6 am.

Grounded through a CT

6 banks of 36 capacitors each connected in double star, star points grounded and shunt-connected to 66 KV bus of the station.

Reactive power generating capacity of some of the generating stations of Karnataka . Name of the generating Reactive power station generation in MVAR Sharavathy Naghajari Varahi 300 250 100

Raichur B. T. P. S.

7 x 50 100

Natural generation of capacitance reactance & how it is handled. The lines 400 KV and 220 KV are supposed to generate reactive power at 50 and 20 MVAR respectively for every 100 Kms of line lengths ,because each line with three conductors at different voltages running together in parallel paths constitute electrical capacitors. Besides Ferranti effect also creates capacitance reactance. Ferranti effect is supposed to come into play in under loaded lines only. It so happens that most of the 400 KV lines designed for interstate transfer of bulk power always ( besides heavy shortage of generation )happen to be highly under loaded only. But the MVAR generated by short lines (less than 150 KMs) and that of 220 KV line, are of not much significance, The over voltages created by more than 150 kms line lengths of 400 KV lines create problems for system stability. Hence the effect of capacitive reactance is off set by including shunt reactors (Inductive load). What capacity shunt reactors (About 30 % of capacitive reactance created by the lines) and where to install is all decided by PGCIL after a system studies at regional \ central load dispatch centers. The actual work is carried out by either state electricity boards or by PGCIL itself. For example five of the 12 numbers of 400 KV lines are each connected with 50 MVAR shunt capacitors at Nelamangala station. At Somanally 400 KV station one of the 5 lines is provided with 50 MVAR shunt reactors and the bus with 63 MVAR reactor. One number of 63 MVAR reactors connected to Somana halli-Guthy line is with drawn from service.