Polyphase power factors and unbalanced loads

DEFINITION No. 1 in the Committee's report gives a numerical relation applicable to any polyphase circuit, which is also intended to give a measure, as a general average, of the greater outlay of apparatus and plant that the supply of unbalanced loads entails. Without attempting to state whether such numerical averaging gives a fair compromise measure of the added economical burden of carrying unbalanced loads, it is important that we definitely and clearly describe the results of the applications of this definition No. 1. For this purpose I submit in the table herewith comparative results of the amount of capacity of electrical equipment required for generating and transmitting a unit amount of power under different conditions of unbalancing, all giving the same average value of power factor definition No. 1: