Double check apparent power definition

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the definition and understanding of apparent power in the context of complex impedance and power calculations in electrical circuits. Participants explore different formulations of apparent power, its relationship with total power, and the implications of using complex quantities in calculations.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that apparent power can be expressed as S = V^2 / Z for a complex impedance Z, while others prefer the definition S = VI, arguing it is more universally applicable.
  • There is uncertainty regarding whether apparent power is synonymous with total power, with some participants questioning the definitions and suggesting it may be a matter of semantics.
  • A participant clarifies that complex power is defined as S = V * I*, where I* is the complex conjugate of current, and provides a mathematical formulation for apparent power in terms of magnitudes.
  • Some participants express a desire to maintain the discussion in terms of complex voltages and currents, particularly in relation to practical applications like Newton-Raphson methods in MATLAB.
  • Concerns are raised about the correctness of using complex power in certain equations, specifically questioning the formulation of complex power in relation to voltage and admittance.
  • There is a mention of potential issues with the Jacobian in the context of Newton-Raphson methods, indicating a need for careful differentiation in the calculations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the definitions of apparent power and total power, with multiple competing views and uncertainties remaining about the correct formulations and their applications.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include unresolved definitions of apparent power and total power, as well as potential ambiguities in the application of complex quantities in power calculations. The discussion also highlights the need for careful mathematical treatment in computational methods.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for electrical engineering students, practitioners working with power systems, and those interested in the mathematical modeling of electrical circuits.

tim9000
Messages
866
Reaction score
17
Hey just to make sure,
can we say apparent power S = V^2 / Z

for a complex impedance Z?
And do we have to worry about conjugates at all?

Cheers
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
The total power S = VI. Where S, V and I are all complex. I prefer that to $$\frac{V^2}{Z}$$ because VI works for any circuit.

Is apparent power the same as total power? I'm not exactly sure what you mean by apparent power.

Edit: no conjugations were needed.
 
I always thought apparent power is the voltage across the complex impedance multiplied by the current through the complex impedance. So, V * I, or V^2 / Z, or I^2 * Z. I don't think I have heard of a definition of total power. But that just might be semantics.
 
First, you have the complex power:
$$
\mathbf{S} = \mathbf{V}\overline{\mathbf{I}}
$$
where ##\mathbf{V},\mathbf{I}## are RMS phasors. The overline means to take the complex conjugate.

The apparent power is defined as:
$$
|\mathbf{S}| = |\mathbf{V}\overline{\mathbf{I}}| = |\mathbf{V}||\overline{\mathbf{I}}| = |\mathbf{V}||\mathbf{I}| = \frac{|\mathbf{V}|^2}{|\mathbf{Z}|}
$$
which is consumed by the impedance ##\mathbf{Z}## with the voltage ##\mathbf{V}## across it.
 
anorlunda said:
The total power S = VI. Where S, V and I are all complex. I prefer that to $$\frac{V^2}{Z}$$ because VI works for any circuit.

Is apparent power the same as total power? I'm not exactly sure what you mean by apparent power.

Edit: no conjugations were needed.
Averagesupernova said:
I always thought apparent power is the voltage across the complex impedance multiplied by the current through the complex impedance. So, V * I, or V^2 / Z, or I^2 * Z. I don't think I have heard of a definition of total power. But that just might be semantics.
Yeah Averagesupernova, I think that's right, I always think of it as being the hypotenuse of the reactive and real power.
 
milesyoung said:
First, you have the complex power:
$$
\mathbf{S} = \mathbf{V}\overline{\mathbf{I}}
$$
where ##\mathbf{V},\mathbf{I}## are RMS phasors. The overline means to take the complex conjugate.

The apparent power is defined as:
$$
|\mathbf{S}| = |\mathbf{V}\overline{\mathbf{I}}| = |\mathbf{V}||\overline{\mathbf{I}}| = |\mathbf{V}||\mathbf{I}| = \frac{|\mathbf{V}|^2}{|\mathbf{Z}|}
$$
which is consumed by the impedance ##\mathbf{Z}## with the voltage ##\mathbf{V}## across it.
Hi Miles, thanks.
Ah ok, it is for magnitudes. But what about if I still wanted it all to be in terms of comples voltages, currents and powers?

Specifically because I'm trying to work out a Newton raphson here:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...on-matlab-not-converging.839961/#post-5270803

Using the aforementioned power equation. I'm trying to work out the complex voltages for 4 busses in Matlab. Where I have worked out the matricies for the complex power for each bus and the admittance matrix.Thank you
 
tim9000 said:
But what about if I still wanted it all to be in terms of comples voltages, currents and powers?
##\mathbf{V}## and ##\mathbf{Z}## are complex.

When you need the apparent power, then you could just, for instance, use the 'abs' function in MATLAB to find ##|\mathbf{V}|,|\mathbf{Z}|##.
 
milesyoung said:
##\mathbf{V}## and ##\mathbf{Z}## are complex.

When you need the apparent power, then you could just, for instance, use the 'abs' function in MATLAB to find ##|\mathbf{V}|,|\mathbf{Z}|##.
Hey Miles,
Yeah I actually tried that yesterday, but now I'm thinking I can't use apparent power. So is it incorrect to say that:

Complex power = complex voltage * complex admittance?
like P + Q = V^2 / (R + X)

I think one thing that might be wrong is my jacobian.
From what I remember NR uses the form y = f(x)
where y is a constant (in this case the powers) and x is the voltages ('volts' matrix), so my function is
(volts)^2)*Y_mat

so the jabobian is:
(2*volts*Y_mat)

? Or have I not differentiated that properly?
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Replies
33
Views
4K
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
5K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • · Replies 47 ·
2
Replies
47
Views
5K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K