300kVAr Power Factor Correction Installation – Spring Manufacturer, Rochdale

The Project

QUEST Electrical were appointed by a spring manufacturing company in Rochdale to carry out the installation of a new 300kVAr power factor correction (PFC) system at their manufacturing facility.

The project involved the installation of a detuned power factor correction unit, designed to improve electrical efficiency, manage reactive power demand and support the performance of the site’s existing electrical distribution infrastructure.

The installation formed part of the company’s approach to maintaining an efficient and reliable electrical supply within its industrial manufacturing environment.

The Challenge

Manufacturing facilities often operate a wide range of electrical machinery, motors and production equipment, which can create significant reactive power demand and result in a reduced power factor.

A poor power factor can increase electrical current demand, place additional loading on the electrical distribution system and potentially result in additional reactive power charges.

The project required a suitable industrial power factor correction solution capable of responding to varying electrical loads while incorporating protection against the effects of harmonic distortion associated with modern manufacturing equipment.

The Solution

QUEST supplied and installed a 300kVAr detuned power factor correction system, incorporating automatic switching in 50kVAr stages to provide reactive power compensation in response to the facility’s electrical demand.

The system incorporated:

• Heavy-duty three-phase capacitor banks
• Siemens capacitor switching contactors
• Inrush current limiting resistors
• Heavy-duty harmonic blocking inductors
• Automatic power factor control relay
• Power factor and harmonic indication
• Triple-pole HRC fuse protection
• Forced ventilation
• Split-core current transformer for system monitoring

The unit was designed for integration with the existing 415V three-phase electrical infrastructure, providing automatic reactive power compensation while reducing the risk of harmonic-related problems.

The installation included the required electrical connections, testing, commissioning and certification.

The Result

The completed installation provided the spring manufacturer with a 300kVAr automatic power factor correction system, designed to improve power factor performance and reduce unnecessary reactive power demand within the manufacturing facility.

The detuned system provides reactive power compensation while incorporating harmonic blocking inductors to help protect the capacitor banks in an industrial electrical environment.

The project demonstrates QUEST Electrical’s capability to deliver industrial power factor correction installations, detuned capacitor bank systems and electrical efficiency upgrades for manufacturing and engineering businesses.

By combining specialist electrical installation expertise with appropriately specified PFC equipment, QUEST can help industrial clients improve the utilisation of their existing electrical infrastructure and manage reactive power-related costs.

Find out more about our Power Factor Correction installation and maintenance services.