Projects / Electrical / Electrical project 4

Automatic Power Factor Correction Panel (Capacitor Bank Switching)

Approx. component budget: Rs. 8,000 - 13,000

Objective

Detect lagging power factor automatically and switch capacitor steps in to bring it close to unity, then measure the effect on line current.

What you will build

A set of capacitors switched by relays or contactors in steps, a power factor sensing unit with a microcontroller, a display and inductive test loads such as a fan or motor.

Results you can expect

• Power factor before and after correction
• Line current reduction
• Number of steps needed
• Effect of over-correction
• Response time

What you will learn

Power factor, reactive power and capacitor sizing, used in every industrial electricity system.

Tools and notes

Arduino/ESP32, voltage and current sensing, relays, power capacitors (rated for AC), Excel. Discharge capacitors after use and keep all wiring enclosed.

Resume points from this project

• Built and tested Automatic Power Factor Correction Panel (Capacitor Bank Switching); objective: detect lagging power factor automatically and switch capacitor steps in to bring it close to unity, then measure the effect on line current.
• Measured and analysed power factor before and after correction and line current reduction; wrote the report and presented the results in a viva. Add your own numbers: [x].

Replace [x] with your own measured results. Write only what you really did.

More electrical projects

Back to all projects