What is the Difference Between Reactive and Apparent Power?

Thread starter acpower89
Start date Feb 11, 2012
Tags

Power

AI Thread Summary

Reactive power is the power that is stored and released by electric or magnetic fields in an AC system, while apparent power is the combination of both real power and reactive power, representing the total power in the circuit. Apparent power is measured in volt-amperes (VA) and is crucial for understanding the overall power flow in electrical systems. The confusion often arises because reactive power does not perform any useful work, but is essential for maintaining voltage levels. The discussion highlights the importance of distinguishing between these two types of power for better comprehension of electrical systems. Understanding these concepts is vital for effective power management in electrical engineering.

Feb 11, 2012

acpower89

Hi

I'm kinda confused with the difference between reactive and apparent power. In my understanding, reactive power is basically the power absorbed by either electric or magnetic fields that is later returned to the source. So what is exactly is apparent power?

thanks

Engineering news on Phys.org

Feb 11, 2012

nsaspook

Science Advisor

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_2/chpt_11/2.html

Feb 11, 2012

acpower89

I was just about to post I figured it out, sorry for the pointless thread.

Thread '3-terminal device external modeling'

Very basic question. Consider a 3-terminal device with terminals say A,B,C. Kirchhoff Current Law (KCL) and Kirchhoff Voltage Law (KVL) establish two relationships between the 3 currents entering the terminals and the 3 terminal's voltage pairs respectively. So we have 2 equations in 6 unknowns. To proceed further we need two more (independent) equations in order to solve the circuit the 3-terminal device is connected to (basically one treats such a device as an unbalanced two-port...

View full post »

Thread 'Question about the voltage between two charged capacitors'

suppose you have two capacitors with a 0.1 Farad value and 12 VDC rating. label these as A and B. label the terminals of each as 1 and 2. you also have a voltmeter with a 40 volt linear range for DC. you also have a 9 volt DC power supply fed by mains. you charge each capacitor to 9 volts with terminal 1 being - (negative) and terminal 2 being + (positive). you connect the voltmeter to terminal A2 and to terminal B1. does it read any voltage? can - of one capacitor discharge + of the...

View full post »

Thread 'Weird near-field phenomenon I get in my EM simulation'

I recently made a basic simulation of wire antennas and I am not sure if the near field in my simulation is modeled correctly. One of the things that worry me is the fact that sometimes I see in my simulation "movements" in the near field that seems to be faster than the speed of wave propagation I defined (the speed of light in the simulation). Specifically I see "nodes" of low amplitude in the E field that are quickly "emitted" from the antenna and then slow down as they approach the far...

View full post »