In a common AC induction motor, a magnetic field is induced in the rotor and the power is supplied directly to the stator. The power used to induce the magnetic field in the rotor is commonly known as reactive power since it does not produce work. The power supplied to the stator is best known as active or real power for it produces the torque of the motor. Together, the real and reactive power form the total or apparent power in the system. This is often depicted on a power triangle.

Figure 1 - Power Factor Correction Equipment

What is power factor correction?

Power factor (PF) is a measure of system electrical efficiency. A business that does not manage their PF will likely suffer from financial and operational losses as a result. PF correction is the process of bringing PF closer to 100%, or unity.

IDS employees regularly repair and perform testing on previously failing drives that are loaned to them from other large industries. Testing is completed through a half hour load test on the drive to determine the effectiveness of the repair. The power factor of the main facility at IDS drops to 0.20 and below during the time of load testing.