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rE: RE- Cap Confusion
From: John H. Couture[SMTP:couturejh-at-worldnet.att-dot-net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 1997 1:11 AM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: RE- Cap Confusion
At 07:08 AM 11/17/97 +0000, you wrote:
>
>From: Robert Michaels[SMTP:robert.michaels-at-online.sme-dot-org]
>Sent: Sunday, November 16, 1997 6:26 AM
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: RE- Cap Confusion
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Robert, All -
I agree that power factor correcting (PFC) capacitors are of little value
for Tesla coilers. I would not recommend them because they can cause
resonance problems.
Reactive currents do not register on power company's kilowatt hour meters
and are not billed to the customer. Only large electric user customers are
billed for reactive currents (low power factor) by installing special meters
like demand meters.
A Tesla coiler will not save any money on his electric bill if he installs
PFC capacitors. Reactive currents will circulate thru his house wiring
system but will do nothing except create a small extra voltage drop when the
coil is operating.
Note that the electric power company does not sell electric power to its
customers, only electric energy.
John Couture
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> The use of power-factor correcting a capacitor is of very
> limited usefulness in a single-phase circuit.
>
> Power-factor capacitors earn their keep in 3-phase power
> systems and then only in the cases where the power is
> supplied via delta-wound transformers. (a very commonplace
> situation)
>
> Inductive loads with less than unity power-factors cause
> "reactive currents" in the windings of 3-phase transformers.
>
> These currents are registered on the power company's
> kilowatt-hour meters and hence are billed to the customer.
> However, the reactive currents do nothing but circulate
> around in the 3-phase windings, generating heat therein, and
> contributing absolutely nothing to the useful load.
>
> In a factory-full of reactive loads (most typically motors)
> the use of power-factor correction can save a bunch on one's
> utility bills.
>
> In the case of a lone experimenter and a single-phase load,
> they are hardly worth discussing.
>
> More power to you, from
> --- Detroit, USA
>
> Robert Michaels
>