What is the power factor of a three-phase circuit if the real power is 20,760 W and the total voltage is 240 V using 100 A?

To calculate the power factor of a three-phase circuit, it is essential to understand the relationship between real power, apparent power, and power factor itself. The power factor is defined as the ratio of real power (measured in watts) to apparent power (measured in volt-amperes).

First, let's calculate the apparent power (S) of the circuit. In a three-phase system, the formula for apparent power is:

[ S = \sqrt{3} \times V \times I ]

Where:

• ( V ) is the line-to-line voltage (in volts)

• ( I ) is the line current (in amperes)

Given the voltage of 240 V and current of 100 A:

[ S = \sqrt{3} \times 240 , V \times 100 , A ]

[ S \approx 1.732 \times 240 \times 100 ]

[ S \approx 41,584 , VA ]

Now that we have the apparent power, we can calculate the power factor (PF):

[ PF = \frac{Real Power}{Apparent Power} = \frac{20,760 , W}{41,584 , VA