Capacitor banks are groups of identical capacitors used to correct power factor lag or phase shifts in AC power supplies. Capacitors store energy and have fixed capacitance measured in farads. Capacitor banks are used in heavy industrial environments to counteract power factor lag, making the power supply more efficient and cost-effective. However, caution must be taken when handling or disposing of capacitors.
A capacitor bank is a grouping of several identical capacitors interconnected in parallel or in series with each other. These capacitor packs are typically used to correct or counteract unwanted characteristics, such as power factor lag or phase shifts inherent in alternating current (AC) power supplies. Capacitor banks can also be used in direct current (DC) power supplies to increase stored energy and improve the ripple current capability of the power supply.
Single capacitors are electrical or electronic components that store electrical energy. Capacitors consist of two conductors separated by an insulating or dielectric material. When an electric current is passed through the pair of conductors, a static electric field is developed in the dielectric which represents the stored energy. Unlike batteries, this stored energy is not held indefinitely, as the dielectric allows a certain amount of current leakage which results in the stored energy gradually dissipating.
The energy storage characteristic of capacitors is known as the capacitance and is expressed or measured by unit farads. This is usually a known, fixed value for each individual capacitor which allows for considerable flexibility in a wide range of uses such as DC current limiting by allowing AC current to pass, output smoothing in DC power supplies and circuit building resonants used in radio tuning. These features also allow capacitors in a group or bank of capacitors to be used to absorb and correct AC power faults.
The use of a capacitor bank to correct AC power glitches is typically found in heavy industrial environments that have electric motor and transformer workloads. This type of workload is problematic from a power perspective because electric motors and transformers are inductive loads, causing a phenomenon known as power factor lag or lag in the power supply. The presence of this unwanted phenomenon can cause serious losses in terms of overall efficiency of the system with an associated increase in the cost of energy supply.
The use of a capacitor bank in the power system effectively cancels or counteracts these phase shift problems, making the power supply much more efficient and cost effective. Installing a capacitor bank is also one of the cheapest methods of correcting power lag problems, and maintaining a power factor capacitor bank is simple and inexpensive. One thing to always keep in mind when working with any capacitor or bank of capacitors is the fact that stored energy, if discharged incorrectly, can cause severe burns or electric shock. Improper handling or disposal of capacitors can also lead to explosions, so care should always be taken when dealing with capacitors of any kind.
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