Some experiments on the automatic correction of power-factor to a predetermined value

The experiments described in the paper involve the direct use of a power-factor meter to control the periodic short-circuiting of the exciter field regulator of a synchronous condenser to effect the automatic correction of the power-factor of the condenser and load to a predetermined value. At the commencement, the author realised the difficulties likely to be encountered with the use of a power-factor meter for this purpose as against the use, for example, of a solenoid connected to the mains as a standard of reference in a voltage regulator. The paper describes the application of the power-factor correction apparatus with the attendant difficulties to a synchronous induction motor and a salient-pole synchronous motor. The final tests of each of the series described proved the basic principle of the apparatus to be feasible.