Power Factor Correction Simulator

Add capacitor bank kVAR to a lagging-power-factor load and watch the power triangle, current, and illustrative utility penalty model update — with six real-world load scenarios and an over-correction demonstration.

AVAILABLEAUTOMATED CHECKS ONLYSTANDARDS-AWAREINTERMEDIATEIEEEWHAT DO THESE STATUSES MEAN?

POWER TRIANGLE LIVE120 V – 13.8 kV6 LOAD SCENARIOSOVER-CORRECTION MODEL

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Overview

Power factor correction is one of those topics where the concept seems simple — add kVAR to cancel kVAR — but the details (how much to add, what happens if you over-correct, why leading power factor can be just as problematic as lagging) often remain fuzzy. This simulator makes the power triangle interactive: set system voltage (120 V–13.8 kV), load kW, and initial power factor, then drag the capacitor bank slider to add kVAR and watch the power triangle, apparent power, total current, and illustrative utility penalty model respond. The Vector tab shows live phasor diagrams of V, I, and the power components. The Correction tab focuses on the kVAR calculation and target PF. An illustrative utility penalty model shows relative demand charge impact — labeled as educational, not an actual tariff calculator. Six preset scenarios cover Factory Floor, Office Building, Welding Shop, Data Center, Over-Correction Demo, and Leading Initial Load. Event and insight logs explain what changed. The Learn tab covers the theory from apparent power through capacitor sizing.

App preview

A live look at the app you'll launch — every control on the left drives the visualizations on the right in real time.

Inside the lab

Example data — not a real field report

Dashboard with real, reactive, and apparent power readouts and target PF — Dashboard — the top-level view. Set real power (kW), reactive power (kVAR), or displacement power factor and every downstream value updates instantly: apparent power (kVA), utility current, and the size of the correction capacitor bank you'd need to hit a target PF.

Vector / Triangle tab showing the power triangle with kW, kVAR, and kVA — Vector / Triangle — the classic power triangle drawn to scale. Watch the kVAR leg shrink and the kVA hypotenuse tilt toward horizontal as correction is added. Turns the algebra of P, Q, and S into something you can actually see.

Correction Lab tab sizing a capacitor bank to reach a target power factor — Correction Lab — the sizing worksheet. Enter your existing load and a target PF (typically 0.95) and the tool computes the required capacitor kVAR, resulting utility current reduction, and the demand-charge / conductor-sizing implications.

Scenarios tab with preset industrial loads and utility PF penalties — Scenarios — preset situations like an induction-motor plant with a utility PF penalty, a lightly loaded transformer, or an over-corrected leading-PF site. Each scenario loads a realistic set of numbers to explore before you build your own.

Learn tab explaining PF fundamentals, correction, and harmonics caveats — Learn — plain-language reference cards on displacement vs true power factor, why utilities penalize low PF, when to correct at the motor vs the service entrance, and the harmonics caveat that makes capacitor banks risky on non-linear loads.

What you'll do

01Draw and label the power triangle with real (kW), reactive (kVAR), and apparent (kVA) power components
02Calculate the kVAR of capacitance required to improve power factor from an initial value to a target value
03Explain why over-correction results in leading power factor and can violate utility requirements
04Predict the effect of power factor improvement on total line current for a fixed real-power load
05Identify load types that inherently produce lagging versus leading power factor
06Interpret an illustrative utility demand charge model and explain why low power factor increases billing

Try a guided scenario

Correct a lagging plant load and watch which quantities move and which stay put.

Real, reactive, and apparent power and power factor · Electrical Foundations

No sign-in required. Progress is saved on this device.

What this lab is not

Not a design document, stamped calculation, or approval record.
Not a substitute for engineering analysis by a licensed professional.
Not connected to live equipment and not a safety device.

Calculation basis

References IEEE. Results are computed from the entered inputs and cited back to the referencing clause or table number — no code text or table is reproduced verbatim.

Simplifying assumptions are stated in the lab itself; where a model is intentionally conceptual, the lab says so rather than implying study-grade accuracy.

Standards basis: Standards-aware. Validation state: Automated checks only (last checked 2026-08-15).