How Does Your Capacitor Work?

APFC Panels A load & therefore its KVAR are in a dynamic state - generally. A matching KVAR output of a capacitor bank must also be dynamic i.e. must adjust itselfinstantly to its requirement, if one is to obtain a uniform &'set' p.f. all along. This is best achieved by an automatic control that switches in & out, segments of a designed capacitor bank. A control panel serving this purpose is called on APFC panel or Automatic Power Factor Controlling panel. It controls the load power factor by sensing various available parameters. A) Sensing Parameters :1. Current - Sensing based APFC :- The current magnitude through a feeder or bus is sensed and fed to a relay. As this magnitude crosses a set bandwidth, the relay operates a power controlling a section of a capacitor bank. This is the simplest and possibly the cheapest relay. It has a disadvantage of functioning with no reference to the actual load power factor - but assuming it. 2. Power Factor Sensing based APFC :- This relay senses the start of the voltage current wave forms on a given feeder & measures the time difference between them. It then converts this into a p.f. & compares this with a set value. Upon finding a difference, it operates the power contactor. This type of relay is most widely used. It has an advantage of being able to show the laod p.f. on an indicating meter. It's disadvantage :- It has no relation to the load magnitude & it's KVAR requirement. It can lead to severe hunting. 3. KVAR Sensing based APFC :- This relay senses the magnitudes of both the voltage & current wave forms & also the time or phase difference between them. It then calculates the load KVAR & compares these with a possible combination of sections within a capacitor bank and operates their controlling contractors to add the required capacitor KVAR to the electrical system. This is the most sensitive relay - capable of obtaining maximum benefit out of a given capacitor bank. It's disadvantages :- It is rather hard on the contractors and its related surge suppression attachments. B) Sizing of Capacitor Switching Blocks :-

1) Power Factors for the purposes of levying penalties are based on the monthly consumptions of KVA-Hrs, KW-Hrs & KVAR-Hrs as recorded on a trivector meter. If the basic purpose of installing capacitors is to stay safely above the penalty limit, then average power factor correction based on a 24 hour basis is sufficient and not an elaborate "instant to instant" p.f. correction. This helps one in setting as wide a band-width as possible before changing a step. It prevents switching - too often. It must be noted that KVA-Hrs and KVAR-Hrs do not subtract if excessive capacitor KVAR are dumped into the system by over corrections into a leading zone - say part of the time. It records this also as a low p.f. & subject to penalty. Besides, leading p.f.'s are unhealthy for capacitors & the system itself. a) A simple straight forward method of sizing the capacitor blocks would be to divide them equally into targeted number of steps. Besides simplicity it has an advantage of standard sizes for replacement of work out contractors, blown fuses etc. Many a designer favour this. b) In ambitious method of sizing the blocks, they are designed in a binary sequence so that a large number of combinations is available for a given set of contactors etc. If the accessories are chosen properly, this can be an ideal method though slightly costlier than method (a) above. c) Each controls in an APFC Panel adds considerably to overall costs. It is advisable to keep as much capacitor KVAR out of the APFC control as possible, for example, the first step i.e. load portion which is constant on a 24 hour basis, Continuous working industries offer this. In the second step - divide the remainder in a number of steps. Keep this number of step as small as possible, by studing the load pattern. The portion that is likely to be operated often, should be at the fag end. Large size contactors should at the starting end so that they operate as few times as possible. C) Methods of Switching In & Switching Out :1) When the bank is controlled in equal steps, as in B(a) above, some designers prefer a first - in, first - out or FIFO method so that all contactors and steps have uniform period of operation & can together last longer.

2) If method B(c) above is followed, then the switching control should be on the basis of 'First-in, Last-out' or FILO. 3) Method B.(b) above, calls for random switching which requires careful selection of power contactors or better still, opting out for thyristor switching which has yet to prove it's mettle in India. D) Structural Design of an APFC Panel :1) Capacitor bank step (section) 2) Discharge resistance on individual capacitor unit - external. 3) Incoming switch fuse for the bank. 4) Capacitor bank bus bar. 5) Capacitor bank CT's. 6) Ammeter selector switch. 7) Ammeter for bank current. 8) Thermal overload relay or sectional fuses. 9) Automatic control relay & p.f. meter. Time delay relays. 10) Power contactor. 11) Push Button sets. 12) Indicating lamps. 13) Cabinet (capacitor bus bars) 14) Earthing bus bars. 15) Isolating transformer for contactor coils. 16) Heater. 17) Lamp, extra piano type switches & sockets.

18) Cooling fan. 19) Auto-manual change over switch. E) Rating of Components :1) Should an APFC panel develop a 'short' from the main bus to body or between phases, a heavy current will flow till the back-up protection - like an HRC fuse, isolates this short. The system voltage divided by the system impedance up to the point of a short, gives the short circuit current. This impedance consists main by of the step down transformer impedance - generally 4% to 6%. Increasing this value by 10% takes care of impedances of intervening items like a switch, a bus bar, a C.T. etc. The short circuit current divided by 165 Amps gives an acceptable conductor cross section, which can safely hold for a s.c. duration of one second. Generally, these sections are not unduly large and fall within a current density of 2.5 to 3 Amps/mm2 of the full capacitor bank current rating. Should the length of this panel be large - then the bus bars must be laterally & rigidly supported to prevent flexuring under s.c. forces. 2) A capacitor shorted to it's body restricts the s.c. current severely. Depending on the inside construction and the wall thickness of the capacitor tank, this unit can withstand the bursting forces till it's protective system takes over. Thus the double earthing of a panel can be safely standardised on G.I. strip of 50 x 6 mm2 size. 3) A capacitor at the instance of being switched on, is a dead short circuit. The inrush current is limited in its peak value by system inductances upto that point, except that the circuit now goes into a natural resonance. A power contactor, by nature of its construction and contact material, can withstand a peak current of a given magnitude - beyond which, the contactor points will weld on to themselves - leading to capacitor failure. If a capacitor is being switched on against other steps which are already on, then the other steps will discharge into this new - comer. The intervening bus bars have very low inductances & these peak currents are very high reaching 160 times the rated capacitor current or more. The capacitor should be able to handle this- without welding. There are three methods to deal with this :-

a) Use a liberal & proven rating for a known contactor. b) Use surge suppression choke coils on each capacitor, to introduce extra inductance & thus limit the peak current. For panels with 4 steps or more & also for panels using MPP capacitors, this is essential. c) Use a special contactor with auxilliary contacts which introduce a starting resistance at the begining, then short it. 4) A discharge resistor on a capacitor reduces the residual voltage on it - after being switched off to a safe value of 50 volts within less than a minute and readies it for re-switching should this be required. If this resistance were to burn out, the re-switching will take place against a charged unit. This will burn it out. It is highly essential to periodically check the condition of these externally mounted discharge resistances. 5) Other Items : Main switch fuse is substituted by air-breakers for large banks. Draw - out type, electrically operated breakers increase cost of a panel tremoundously. 6) Time Delay Relays : Time Delay Relays with an adjustable one minute delay should be incorporated - both in APFC or Manual mode to prevent reswitching of a contactor within less than one minute of switching it off. What can go wrong in an APFC Panel. 1) Wrong connections to the Automatic Relay : The C.T. feeding this relay is the mains CT & not the CT within the panel itself. The voltage connection to the relay should be from the same phase from which the current is measured. These relays are single phase relays. 2) Too narrow a band-width, per step : The band-width can be set manually. A narrow band width leads to hunting between steps. 3) Contactor points welding together. 4) Discharge Resistor &/or choke coils burning out.

5) Time Delay Relays being bipassed or not working. 6) Failure of electronic components under the combined on slought of higher ambient temperature and voltage surges - particularly for outdoor polemounted type of panels. 7) Improper ventilation, Loose cable joints & similar causes commonly found. 8) Unattended leaks on capacitors.

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