Case Study - Iskra Power Factor Solutions help FENI Industries AD save more than few thousand EUR monthly

Monday, 7 September 2020

What is Power Factor and how does it impact Power Quality?

Power quality is crucial for the efficient operation of electrical equipment. There are several power quality issues that may impact the efficiency of electrical equipment such as electrical harmonics, poor power factor, and voltage instability. However, among the most important elements in power quality is the power factor.  
Power Factor Correction (PFC) systems are designed to improve the power factor for better power quality by increasing the efficiency of the power supply. Improved power factor results in immediate power cost savings.

The power factor can be improved by installing capacitor banks – a PFC equipment used to correct energy supply inefficiencies while reducing peak demand in the power grid. The most cost-effective power factor is between 0.95 and 1.  A poor power factor (below 0.8) can have a negative impact on the electricity bill.

Problem presentation

FENI Industries AD is the largest Macedonian ferronickel producer. It operates a mine, opencast mine and smelting plant for ferronickel in Kavadarci, northern Macedonia. The company has two melting furnaces, each of them is supplied separately by a 110/35 kV, 100 MVA dry transformer.

Cos φ of the complete system was between 0.90 and 0.92, without compensation at 35 kV. Such a system caused additional, unnecessary costs for electric energy for the company. Monthly costs for reactive energy thus amounted to around 16,000 EUR. In order to reduce costs and optimize energy use, our engineers came up with a middle-voltage compensation solution on a turn-key basis.

Project implementation

The project of a middle-voltage automatic filter compensation device on a turn-key basis consisted of several phases. Initially, our engineers visited the company, they analyzed the situation and carried out measurements.  Once the solution was finalized, we successfully delivered it to the customer. 

Installation of external equipment - filter choke for 4 Mvar

Capacitor battery 8 Mvar, 35 kV

Front plate of one of MV 35 kV switching cells

External equipment of middle-voltage filter compensation, 35 kV, 12 MVar

Main customer benefits

PFC solutions can be a cheaper solution to improve power quality than upgrading electrical equipment. 

After switching on the compensation, cos φ for the complete factory was 0.96. This completely achieves the purpose for such a system. Our middle-voltage compensation solution helps the customer save more than thousands of Eur monthly.

Features of the system:

• Nominal voltage 35 kV
• Nominal power 12Mvar
• Version two steps with filters / outdoor
• The system can work fully automatic or manual
• Operation is local or remote from energetic control room
• Capacitor banks are connected in double star connection, with appropriate protection relay

Iskra is constantly supporting clients all over the world with such solutions on turn-key basis. If you are looking for smarter ways to manage your energy and reduce your electricity bill, contact our experts at info@iskra.eu