ABSTRACT

This project includes a research on automatic power factor compensation by industrial consumers of electricity in Uganda as well as a laboratory simulation of automatic power factor compensation. The research made was a micro research able to reach a small number of industrial consumers of electricity. The results were achieved by aid questionnaires which were answered by different persons responsible in the industries which were reached out to. Another questionnaire was also filled by the responsible personnel at the service center of the electricity distribution company. All the research was carried out in Uganda’s eastern region in the district of Iganga. A laboratory simulation using the results of the research was carried out in the Kampala International University – Western Campus in the Electrical Machines Laboratory using the Power Factor Control Relay Trainer machine. Using the results acquired from the research, it affirmed that the industrial machinery operating power factor could be corrected by the machine which was used. From the analysis of the results acquired, it was found that there was significant amounts of money spent on a daily basis on unused electricity due to the poor power factor and that this can be minimized by employing Automatic Power Factor Compensation methods.

Keywords: Simulation, Conceptualization, Automatic Power Factor, Compensation and industries