If you pick this article, You will be able understand;

Why AC rated in Tons, Not in kW?

Definition of Ton
How many kW and HP are there in 1 Ton?
How to convert Ton to Kw and vice versa?
How much Current in Ampere will a 2 Tons AC draw in Single Phase & Three Phase
System?
How many 2 Ton A.C (Air conditioner) can I run on a 25 kVA Generator?
What is the suitable rating of MCB for 2 Ton and 1 Ton AC (Air conditioner) and why?
and much more

Why AC rated in Tons, Not in kW?

AC (Air-conditions and Refrigeration are always rated in Tons.
Air conditioners are always rated in Tons capacityinstead of kW because Air
conditioners are designed on the basis of quantity of heat removal from room, hall or
specific area. Quantity of heat is termed in Tons means if an air conditioner is able to
remove 1000 kilocalories of heat or 4120 kilojoules or 12000 BTU of heat in an hour that
AC rated as 1 Ton of AC because 1000 Kilocalories or 4120 kilojoules or 12000 BTU
equal to one Ton of heat. Also, this is the same case for freezer and refrigerator i.e.
refrigeration system.
Good to know:
BTU = British thermal unit. A measurement of heat, specifically, the amount of heat
needed to raise the temperature of a pound of water by 1F.

Definition of Ton
A Ton of refrigeration (RT) is approximately equivalent to 12,000 BTU/h or 3,516.8528 W
or 4.7142Hp.
A Ton of refrigeration (RT) is a unit of power used to describe the heat-extraction
capacity of air conditioning and refrigeration equipments. It is defined as the heat of
fusion absorbed by melting 1 short ton of pure ice at 0 C (32 F) in 24 hours.

How many kW and HP are there in 1 Ton?

1 Ton = 3.5168525 kW = 4.714Hp
Explanation
1 Ton = 12,000 BTU/h
1 Watt = 3.412141633 BTU/h
1 Ton = 12,000 / 3.412141633 = 3,516.8528 Watts = 3.5168528 kW.
1 Ton = 3,516.8528 Watts = 3.516 kW.
Also
1 Ton = 3,516.8528W / 746 = 4.7142798928 Hp (1 Hp = 746 Watts)
1 Ton = 4.714 Hp

How to convert Ton to Kw and vice versa?

One RT(Refrigeration Ton) = 3.5168528 kW
1 RT = 3.5168528 kW

1 kW = 0.284345 RT(Refrigeration Ton)

1 kW = 0.28434517 RT
So,
The power P in kW = Power P in RT (Refrigeration Ton) times 3.5168528.
P(kW) = P(RT) 3.5168528
Example
Convert 3 Ton AC into kW i.e. Convert 3 RT to kW.
Solution:
P(kW) = 3 RT 3.5168528
P(kW) = 10.55 kW
3 Ton AC = 10.55 kW

How much Current in Ampere will a 2 Tons AC draw in Single Phase &
Three Phase System?
Suppose, There are 230V and Power factor = Cos = 0.95 in Single Phase AC
system
1 Ton = 3,516.8528 Watts = 3.516 kW.
2 Ton = 2 x 3.516 kW = 7.032kW = 7032W
Power in a Single Phase AC System
P = VxI Cos and current
I = P / (V x Cos).. Where Cos = Power factor
I = 7032W / (230V x .95)
I = 32.18 A
Therefore, a 2 Ton AC (Air-condition in Single Phase AC system will take 31.18 Ampere
Current
Andin Three Phase System
Suppose, There are 440V and Power factor = Cos = 0.85 in Three Phase AC system
Power in a Three Phase AC System
P =3 x VLxIL Cos and current.
I = P /( 3xVxCos)
I = 7032W / (1.732 x 440V x .85) Where Cos = Power factor and 3 = 1.732
I = 10.855 A
Therefore, a 2 Ton AC (Air-condition in Three Phase AC system will take 10.855 Ampere
Current
Good to Know:This is just calculation based on Electrical formulas. In real, Air
conditioner current depends a lot on operating conditions such as ambient temperature,
refrigerant pressure, Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) etc. for instance, if EER is 6, then
input power for 2 Tons Air conditioner is 24000BTU/ 6 = 4000 watts..
If this is a 230 volt system, then air conditioner load current would be = 4000/(230x.95)
= 18.5 A
For More detailCheck the Air conditioner Name plate rating.
Another similar rating is Coefficient of power (COP) which is the output power in watts
divided by input power, so with a COP = 1.8, for instance, input power for 2 Tons Air
conditioner is 7032W / 1.8 = 3906 watts. Now you can find current by using the above
method which is equal to 18A approx.

How many 2 Ton A.C (Air conditioner) can I run on a 25 kVA

Generator?

2 Ton = 2 x 3.516 kW = 7.032kW = 7032W

The Efficiency of Utility Power Generator is 90% approximately.
Efficiency of Generator = 25kVA x (90/100) = 22.5kVA
Now the Number of 2 Ton AC (Air conditioners) which you can run on a 25 kVA
Generator smoothly..
22.5kVA / 7032W
=3
So you can run Three Air conditioners of 2 Tons each on a 25kVA Generator.

What is the suitable rating of MCB for 2 Ton and 1 Ton AC (Air
conditioner) and why?
As we have calculated the load current for 2 Ton AC Air conditioner
Calculated Current for 2 Ton A.C = I = 32.18 A
Now 40A Class C MCB (miniature circuit breaker) would be suitable for 2 Ton AC (aircondition) because in starting time it takes more current of the full load current
And 20 A Class C MCB would be better for 1 Ton AC (air-condition)
Good to Know:
Class C Type MCBs
Class C Type MCBs are suitable for installations with high inrush of current at the
starting switching time. in other words, equipment and devices having inductive loads
such as air-conditioners, induction motors, fluorescent lamps, transformersetc.
A general AC (Airconditioner )Name plate rating Data

Why Motor rated in kW instead of kVA

Why Motor rated in kW/Horsepower instead of kVA?
We know that Transformer rating may be expressed in kVA as well as
Generator and Alternator rated in kVA Designer doesnt know the actual
consumer power factor while manufacturing transformers and generators i.e.
the P.F (Power factor) of Transformer and Generator/Alternator depends on
the nature of connected load such as resistive load, capacitive load, and
inductive load as Motors, etc. But Motorhas fixed Power factor, i.e. motor
has defined power factor and the rating has been mentioned in KW on Motor
nameplate data table. Thats why we are rated Motor in kW or HP (kilowatts/
Horsepower) instead of kVA.
In addition, Motor is a device which converts Electrical power into Mechanical
power. In this case, the load is not electrical, but mechanical (Motors Output)
and we take into the account only active power which has to be converted
into mechanical load. Moreover, the motor power factor does not depend on
the load and it works on any P.F because of its design.

Why Transformer Rating In kVA, Not in KW?

In Simple words,
There are two type of losses in a transformer;
1. Copper Losses
2. Iron Losses or Core Losses or Insulation Losses
Copper losses ( IR)depends on Current which passing through transformer winding while Iron
Losses or Core Losses or Insulation Losses depends on Voltage.
Thats why the Transformer Rating may be expressed in kVA,Not in kW.

Why Battery rated in Ah (Ampere hour) and not in VA.

Why Battery rating in Ah (Ampere hour) and not in VA.
Battery stores charge in the form of chemical energy and then converts it
into electrical energy to utilize for a specific time. The amount of available
charge is the capacity of a cell or battery which may be expressed in Ah
(Ampere-hour). Moreover, in a charged battery, the numbers of molecules
are limited to create a flow of electron in electric circuits, so, there must be a
limited number of electrons in a cell/battery which they motivate through a
circuit tofully discharge. Now we have the option to rate the battery capacity
in Number of flowing electrons for a specific time, but, it would be a

headache, because there are a vast number of electrons in it. So we have

another option (1C (Coulomb) = 6.25 x 1018electrons, or
6,250,000,000,000,000,000 electrons.
In addition, 1A (Ampere) = 1 coulomb of electrons per second and,
1h = 3600 Seconds
Therefore;
1Ah = (1A) x (3600s) = (C/s) x (3600s) = 3600 C.
A (1 Ampere) = 1 Coulomb per second = C/s
But,
Why make up a new unit for battery capacity rating when an old one unit is
doing just fine?
Of course! To make your lives as technicians and students more difficult.

As they do for electricity units i.e. 1 Unit of Electricity = 1kWh = 1 board of

Trade Unit

Why Power Plant Capacity Rated in MW and not in MVA?

For the following reasons, a Power plant capacity rating may be expressed in
MW instead of MVA.
In a Generating station, the prime mover (Turbine) generates only and only
Active Power. Thats why we rated a power plant capacity in MW instead of
MVA. Its mean no matter how large your generator is, but it depends on the
capacity of the engine (Prime mover/Turbine) I.e. a 50MW turbine connected
to a 90MVA alternator in a power plant will generate only 50MW at full load.
In short, a power plant rating is specified in terms of prime mover /Turbine
(Turbine rating may be seen by nameplate rating which is in MW or
Horsepower (HP) not in MVA) and not by the alternator set coupled to it.
Another thing is that, electric power company charges their consumer for
kVA while they generate kW (or MW) at the power station (Power plant).They
penalize their consumer for low Power factor because they are not
responsible for low power factor and kVA but you. Moreover, in power plant,
power factor is 1 therefore MW is equal to MVA (MW = MVA x P.f).
Another interesting & funny answer by one of our Facebook page
fanPower House means, house of the Power, and we know that the unit or
power is Watt. Thats why we rated power plant capacity in MW and not in
MVA.

Why Generator & Alternator rated in kVA. Not in kW?

The power 3 VL IL Cos delivered by the alternator for the same value of current, depends
upon p.f. (Power Factor=Cos ) of the load. But the alternator conductors are calculated for a

definite current and the insulation at magnetic system are designed for a definite voltage
independent of p.f. (Cos ) of the load. For this reason apparent power measured in kVA is
regarded as the rated power of the alternator.