Industrial Engineer · phase 9 of 16
Motor Power Factor
Ratio related to real and apparent motor power that may be entered for motor identification or control calculations.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- Power factor is how much of the motor's current is doing real work versus magnetising the iron. It is a number below one on the plate, often around 85 percent for a mid sized induction motor.
- Example
- A drive setup screen asks for the nameplate power factor. Entered, it helps the drive separate torque producing current from magnetising current in its motor model.
- Why it matters
- Behind a drive, the plant supply no longer sees the motor's power factor at all, only the rectifier's. The number matters for the drive's internal model and for sizing any motor side equipment, and it is one more plate value that a default silently gets wrong.
- Hook
- How much of the current is actually turning the shaft.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 9: VFD Ratings, Sizing, and Motor Data
Nameplate arithmetic, where the currents, voltages and duty ratings decide whether a drive can actually run the motor you bolted it to.
