Section – Two Part – 9

Electrical Specification Capacitor Bank

PART – 9

CAPACITOR BANK

1.0 GENERAL

The contractor shall supply, install and connect a complete Capacitor Bank with control equipment
for automatically controlling the connection and disconnection of capacitances in response to
changes in the load power factor. The bank shall be free standing individual unit or part of the
switchboard as indicated on the Drawings. The bank shall provide a complete automatic regulation
of the connected capacitor power at peak and off peak times.

The bank shall be fully assembled and internally connected. All equipment shall be suitable for
continuous operation within the specified ambient conditions.

The capacitor banks shall comprise one cubicle for protection and control equipment and steel
racks for the capacitor units.

A discharge resistor shall be fitted in the terminal box of each capacitor unit.

The set of equipment for one capacitor 'step' shall comprise one triple pole contactor and a three
phase fuse unit with fuses.

The cubicle shall contain busbars for the main supply cable, terminal blocks for leads for the
current transformer, control lead fuses. A reactive power regulator, together with capacitor step
indicator lamps shall be mounted on the door of the cubicle.

The equipment ratings shall be selected to give a generous margin to withstand the high capacitor
currents due to harmonics on the system voltage.

The equipment shall comply with BSEN 55014:1993 with respect to electro- magnetic radio
interference.

2.0 POWER FACTOR CORRECTION CAPACITORS

Capacitors shall be of proven and established design. Capacitors shall conform to IEC-831-1, 2
and amendment 2.

Capacitor elements shall comprise a winding of metallized film dielectric and incorporate an
internal fuse link. All resin encapsulated and mounted in plastic container. All capacitors shall be
self healing.

Capacitors shall be low loss type. Losses shall be less than 0.5 watts per KVAR.

Capacitors shall have a dielectric voltage rating of 480 V 3 phase, 50 HZ.

Capacitor units shall comprise of a sheet steel enclosure incorporating a number of capacitor
elements. The enclosure shall be filled with granules or suitable proven alternative to absorb the
energy of any major element failure.

Unit of equal capacitance shall be interchangeable.

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Electrical Specification Capacitor Bank

Every capacitor shall be capable of operating for prolonged periods, without damage, at voltage 10
percent higher than the rated voltage.

All capacitors shall be capable of operating without damage under conditions in which the current
through it has an r.m.s. value exceeding by 15 percent the current corresponding to the rated
(sinusoidal) voltage and frequency.

Each capacitor shall be labeled to warn of possible voltage damages.

3.0 PROTECTION

The capacitor banks shall be equipped with dust-tight, hose-proof terminal boxes, to IP55.

The surface treatment of the capacitor units and the cubicles shall be suitable for outdoor
installation. The sheet-metal surface shall be treated with primer and finished in two-component
baked enamel.

The control equipment cubicle shall be provided with ventilation openings if used in door only.
Each cubicles and all of the equipment within it shall be so arranged that every item of apparatus is
readily accessible of adjustment, where this may be necessary and for maintenance.

4.0 POWER FACTOR REGULATOR

The power factor regulator shall be microprocessor based and shall be programmable at site. The
Power Factor Regulator program shall permit different switching circuits depending upon the
targeted phase angle. Regulator operation shall be insensitive to harmonics and shall have an
automatic no-volt release suitable for operation in temperature upto 70deg. C.

The power factor regulator shall have "AUTOMATIC" or "MANUAL" control facility. The
desired power factor shall be adjustable from 0.9 capacitive to 0.7 inductive. Capacitor switching
time shall be adjustable from 1 to 99 seconds.

The regulator shall be flush mounted in the adjustable door and shall have built in digital power
factor meter and fault indicator. LED indications shall be provided to indicate Number of steps
switched on, Capacitive or Inductive load.

The power factor regulator shall have means to adapt itself to network phase rotation and reversal
of current transformer terminals.

5.0 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

The power factor regulator shall continuously sense (The reactive power) of the circuit being
considered for power factor correction. If the computed power factor differs from the targeted
factor for more than 10 seconds, the regulator shall switch a contactor to switch into or out of the
circuit. Contactors shall be opened or closed as required to bring the circuit power factor closer to
the targeted one.

Only one capacitor shall be switched at a time.

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Electrical Specification Capacitor Bank

6.0 CONTACTORS

Contactors used in capacitor bank circuits shall be suitable for capacitor switching duty and shall
withstand large transient current peaks at high frequency. The contactors shall have a life time of
minimum 100,000 operations under capacitor switching conditions. Contactors shall be rated for
1.5times the normal rated current of the capacitors. The contactors shall conform to IEC 947-4-1.

7.0 FUSES

Three phase high rupture capacity fuses shall be provided for each capacitor step. Fuses shall be
modern industrial design, current limiting type with a breaking capacity exceeding 100 KA.

Fuses shall be confirm to the requirement of IEC 269.

The utilization category of the fuses shall be gG. They shall be plug-in type with proper fuse
handle to ensure the safety of operating personnel.

8.0 CAPACITOR BANK SCHEDULE

1. Equipment Reference :

2. Location :

3. Arrangement :

4. Total output KVAr

- Each step size (Max). :

- Number of steps :

5. Harmonics in system

- Estimated percentage :

6. Main protective device

- Type :
- Rating (in Amps) :
7. Current transformer
- Ratio :
- Location :

8. Enclosure :
- Mounting arrangement:
- IP rating :
- Colour :

9.0 APPLICABLE STANDARDS

- Radio frequency interference suppression as BSEN 55014:1993.

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Electrical Specification Capacitor Bank

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