Active Power (KW)
In an electrical circuit, active power, often referred to as true or real power performs the actual work while being dissipated by resistors. Current & voltage values in an AC circuit fluctuate sinusoidally rather than being fixed values. All transferred power is active if there is no phase shift between the two numbers. Kilo-Watts are used to measure power.
Apparent Power (KVA)
A circuit’s voltage and current, without consideration of phase angle, provide apparent power, which is the sum of reactive power & true power.
The values of apparent power are expressed in Volt-Amps (VA).
Reactive Power (KVAr)
When the current & voltage are out of phase by 90 degrees, reactive power is transferred. In this condition, there is no real power lost because the net energy is transferred in the AC circuit is equal to zero. DC circuits never include reactive power. It refers to the reactance that inductors and capacitors that generate in AC circuits. Kilo-Volt-Amps-Reactive (KVAr) is the measurement unit.
Formula to Calculate the Active, Apparent and Reactive Power
Voltage: Enter the voltage (phase-to-phase) in (V) for the three-phase AC source.
Current: Enter the current in (A)
Power Factor: Enter the load power factor which is between 0 to 1 (cos Ø)
Active Power (KW) = (√3 X V X I X cos Ø)/1000
Apparent Power (KVA) = (√3 X V X I )/1000
Reactive Power (KVAr) = √[(KVA)2-(KW)2]
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