What is the power factor of a 3-phase load that uses 11,250 watts, with 208 volts applied and 35 amperes current per phase?

To determine the power factor of a 3-phase load, you can use the formula for real power (P) in a 3-phase system, which is given by:

[ P = \sqrt{3} \times V \times I \times \text{power factor} ]

Where:

• ( P ) is the total real power in watts (11,250 watts in this case),
• ( V ) is the line-to-line voltage (208 volts),
• ( I ) is the current per phase (35 amperes).

First, we can calculate the apparent power (S) in volt-amperes (VA) using the formula:

[ S = \sqrt{3} \times V \times I ]

Substituting the values, we have:

[ S = \sqrt{3} \times 208 \times 35 ]

Calculating this gives:

[ S \approx 1.732 \times 208 \times 35 ] [ S \approx 1.732 \times 7280 ] [ S \approx 12,632.16 , \text{VA} ]

Now, to find the power factor (PF), we rearrange the real