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Re: [Amps] FW: Power factor correction on tube amps

To: <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>, <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] FW: Power factor correction on tube amps
From: Bill Fuqua <wlfuqu00@uky.edu>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2013 09:45:20 -0500
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
    Adding in the harmonics makes sense for power factor.
Not in the traditional way but in the same way that Sine wave current and Cosine wave voltage produces zero Watts. Orthogonal functions, when multiplied and integrated over a full cycle produce a result of Zero (definition of orthogonal functions). Harmonics are orthogonal to the fundamental frequency. So, the 60 Hz fundamental frequency Voltage and the harmonics of 60 Hz current produce no power but do produce VoltAmps which is the RMS value of the Voltage times the RMS value of the Current. A Fourier Series is a set of orthogonal functions. All the elements of
a Fourier Series are Orthogonal to each other.
   73
Bill wa4lav



At 03:39 PM 3/8/2013 -0800, Jim Brown wrote:
On 3/7/2013 6:26 PM, KA4INM wrote:
So you are saying our tube HPA's hV power supplies have a near unity power factor?
Thinking about your question and my reply, it occurred to me that you 
might not be aware of how Power Factor has been redefined to include both 
Phase Angle (the original definition) AND harmonic current.
The original phase angle contribution is now called the "Displacement 
Power Factor" and is the cosine of the angle between fundamental (50/60 
Hz) current and voltage, the Harmonic contribution is called the" 
Distortion Power Factor," and the the ratio of the fundamental power to 
the total RMS power, and the "Total Power Factor" is the Displacement 
Power Factor multiplied by the Distortion Power Factor.
In the "olden days," when loads were mostly light bulbs (resistive), 
heaters (resistors), and motors, load current tended to be a bit 
inductive, so power factor correction meant adding parallel capacitance.
Now, loads are heating (resistors, but pulsed to make them variable), 
electronic power supplies, inductive motors, and motors with variable 
speed controllers (which draw mains current as switching power supplies). 
Now, power factor correction is more likely to involve the reduction of 
harmonic current.
As I understand conditions in the EU (thanks to my activity in 
international standards work), equipment made and sold there tends to be 
compliant with EU regulations.  EU EMC regulations do place limits on 
Power Factor, RF Emissions, and mains Leakage Current, and they require 
that Susceptibility to RFI be stated on the product label or data 
sheet.  So -- since SPE amps are made in Italy, an EU country, there's a 
good chance that they are compliant with EU regulations. Or maybe not. :)
73, Jim K9YC
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