APFC-Panel Calculations 1

AUTO POWER FACTOR CORRECTION –PANEL UNIT CALCULATION

Consider, 1250 KVA Transformer (T1) with 5 % of Impedance is Supply 1000 KVA Load to the System
at 0.8 Power Factor and Wants to Increase Power Factor 0.98 with the Help of an APFC Panel. Fault
Level at Main Bus Bar is 36 KA.

STANDARD SIZES OF CAPACITORS (KVAR) NOTE

5
10
15
20
25
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100, 200, 300, 400 Very Rarely in Use

CALCULATION
FIND TRANSFORMER FULL LOAD CURRENT.
Transformer (T1) Total KVA = 1250 KVA
Transformer (T1) Secondary Full Load Current= Transformer (T1) KVA / 1.73 X Transformer (T1)
Secondary Voltage.
Transformer (T1) Secondary Full Load Current= 1250 / (1.73 X 0.415) = 1741.06 A

CIRCUIT BREAKER (QM) SIZING AT SECONDARY SIDE OF THE TRANSFORMER (T1).

As per the Standard NEC 450.3 (A), Rating of a Secondary Circuit Breaker is 250% of Transformer
Secondary Full Load Current or Next Higher Standard Size

MAXIMUM RATING OF OVERCURRENT PROTECTION FOR TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN 600 VOLTS
(NEC 450.3 (A))

SECONDARY PROTECTION
PRIMARY PROTECTION
TRANSFORMER (MORE THAN 600 VOLTS)
LOCATION MORE THAN 600V LESS THAN 600V
RATED
LIMITATIONS
IMPEDANCE
FUSE
C. B. C. B. FUSE RATING C.B OR FUSE
RATING

ANY Less than 6% 600%(NH) 300%(NH) 300 %( NH) 250%(NH) 125%(NH)

LOCATION 6% To 10% 400%(NH) 300%(NH) 250%(NH) 225%(NH) 125%(NH)

Any 300%(NH) 250%(NH) Not Required Not Required Not Required

SUPERVISED
LOCATIONS Less than 6% 600% 300% 250% 250% 250%
ONLY
6% To 10% 400% 300% 250% 225% 250%
 APFC-Panel Calculations 2

Rating of Secondary Circuit Breaker = 250 % X 1668.69 A

= 2.5 X 1741.06 = 4352.65 A
So Rating of Secondary Circuit Breaker = 4000A (approx...)

(Note: It’s Seems that the Circuit Breaker is Over Sized, but Transformer Full Load Current is 1741.06
A only. But Standard Says to Add 250% of Full Load Current…..I Invite You’re Comment upon Its
Point. )
So I would like to Use 125% Instead of 250% of Full Load Transformer Secondary Current as
Standard NEC 450.3 (A) Says. (I am not sure My Assumption is whether Right or not.)

Rating of Incomer Circuit Breaker = 125 % X 1741.06 A

= 1.25 X 1741.06
= 2176.325 A
So Rating of Incomer Circuit Breaker = 2500A (Selected)

CIRCUIT BREAKER (QM) OVERLOAD SETTING

As our Assumption the Total Load of the System is 1000 KVA
Total Load Current = Total Load in KVA / 1.73 X Transformer (T1) Secondary Voltage.
Total Load Current = 1000 KVA / (1.73 X 0.415)
= 1392.85 A
Circuit breaker (QM) over Current setting (Ir) = (0.4 X 1) X In
Circuit breaker (QM) over Current setting (Ir) = 0.7 X 2500 A =1750 A

Find Required KVAR for the System

Total Load in KW = Total Load in KVA X Initial Power Factor
Total Load in KW = 1000 X 0.8
= 800 KW
Total Load KVAR Required = KW X (Tan Ɵ1 - Tan Ɵ2)
Initial Power Factor cos Ɵ1 = 0.8
Ɵ1 = cos- (0.8)
= 36.86o
Desired Power Factor cos Ɵ2 = 0.98
Ɵ2 = cos- (0.98)
= 11.47 o
Total Load KVAR Required = 800 X (Tan 36.86 - Tan 11.47)
=800 X (0.749 – 0.202)
=800 X .547
=437.6 KVAR
So as the Rule 10 % of 437.6 KVAR Taken as Fixed KVAR for Supplying No Load Condition and Remains
Taken as Variable KVAR for Load Condition.
Fixed KVAR = Total KVAR Required X 10%
= (437.6) X (10 / 100)
= 43.76 KVAR
= 50 KVAR (taken)
Variable KVAR = 437.6 – 43.76
= 393.84 KVAR
= 400 KVAR (taken)
 APFC-Panel Calculations 3

FIND THE CAPACITANCE OF 50KVAR CAPACITORS

Size of the capacitor bank
Capacitor Charging Current (Ic)
Capacitor Charging Current (Ic)
Capacitance of Capacitor (C)
Where
= 50 KVAR
= (KVAR X 1000) / VOLTAGE
= (50 X 1000) / (415 X 1.73) = 69.64 A
= (KVAR X 1000) / (2 X Π X f X V2 )
= Π is Constant and the Value is 3.14
= f is Frequency i.e. 50Hz
= V is the Voltage i.e. 415 V
= (50 X 1000) / (2 X 3.14 X 50 X (415 X 415)
= 9.24579 x 10-4 F
= 924.58 µF

SELECTION OF CIRCUIT BREAKER (QM6) FOR APFC PANEL PROTECTION

Capacitor BANK charging Current (Ic) = (KVAR X 1000) / VOLTAGE
Total Capacitance Required = 450 KVAR
Capacitor BANK charging Current (Ic) = (450 X 1000) / (1.73 X 415)
= 626.78 A
Selection of the Circuit Breaker is 135 % To 150 % of Capacitor Charging Current
Selection of the Circuit Breaker (QM6) = 150 % 626.78 A
= 1.5 x 626.78
= 940.17 A
Hence Select = 1000 A MCCB set at 1000 A

SELECTION OF CIRCUIT BREAKER (QA) FOR APFC PANEL PROTECTION

QA is the Incomer of APFC Panel it’s Fed from the Main MDB so the Same Rating of QM6
is selected.

SELECTION OF CIRCUIT BREAKER (QA1) FOR BRANCH CIRCUIT IN APFC PANEL

Capacitor BANK charging Current (Ic) = (KVAR X 1000) / VOLTAGE
Total Capacitance Required = 50 KVAR
Capacitor BANK charging Current (Ic) = (50 X 1000) / (1.73 X 415)
= 69.64 A
Selection of the Circuit Breaker is 135 % To 150 % of Capacitor Charging Current

Selection of the Circuit Breaker (QM6) = 150 % 69.64 A

= 1.5 x 69.64
= 104.46 A
Hence Select = 100 A MCCB set at 100 A

SELECTION OF CIRCUIT BREAKER (QA2….QA5) FOR BRANCH CIRCUITS IN APFC PANEL

Capacitor BANK charging Current (Ic) = (KVAR X 1000) / VOLTAGE
Total Capacitance Required = 100 KVAR
Capacitor BANK charging Current (Ic) = (100 X 1000) / (1.73 X 415)
= 139.28 A
 APFC-Panel Calculations 4

Selection of the Circuit Breaker is 135 % To 150 % of Capacitor Charging Current

Selection of the Circuit Breaker (QM6) = 150 % 139.28 A
= 1.5 x 139.28
= 208.92 A
Hence Select = 250 A MCCB set at 200 A

SELECTION OF CONTACTOR (C1….C4) FOR BRANCH CIRCUITS IN APFC PANEL

Select Same Ampere Rating of Branch Circuit Breaker as Contactor Rating.

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