MVCapacitorBanks&PowerFactorCorrection
Reactive compensation delivered as a complete system: capacitors, reactors, discharge coils, switching, protection and control assembled, wired and debugged in the factory, then shipped whole.
- Capacity
- 150 kvar – 30 Mvar
- Voltage
- 6 / 10 / 20 / 35 kV
- Modules
- Up to 12 per bank
- Outdoor rating
- IP44 / IP52 / IP54
The cheapest megavar is the one you do not import.
Below 0.9 power factor, most tariffs start charging for reactive power directly. In metallurgy, petrochemical and mining, where electricity is 5–30% of enterprise cost, that penalty compounds into a line item worth engineering away. Correcting locally also lifts equipment utilization, holds bus voltage and cuts line losses. Three returns on one asset.
The RED-PFC Series is designed as a system rather than a component. Capacitor units, series reactors, discharge coils, isolating switch, metal-oxide surge arresters, switching devices and the secondary control system are integrated into one factory-built enclosure. Every bank is assembled, wired, debugged and type-tested before it leaves, so site work is a connection rather than a construction project.
Control is automatic. A reactive power and voltage regulation controller tracks the busbar in real time and switches groups via AVC or VQC for refined multi-group compensation, with up to twelve modular units per bank in single- or double-star wiring.
System features
Automatic compensation
A reactive power and voltage regulation controller tracks the busbar in real time, switching groups through AVC/VQC for refined multi-group compensation and maximum energy-saving effect.
Modular building-block design
Up to twelve modular control units per bank in single- or double-star wiring. Each standard module carries its own isolating switch, vacuum switching device, series reactor, discharge coil, surge arrester and capacitors.
Complete protection
Open-delta, voltage-differential, unbalanced-current or bridge-differential relay schemes, plus over- and under-voltage, over-current, harmonic over-limit and temperature lock-out.
Zero-crossing switching
An optional phase-selective breaker closes each phase at voltage zero, eliminating closing inrush and opening restrike. Switchgear and capacitors last longer, and system impact drops.
Condition monitoring
An optional online monitor tracks capacitance deviation, dielectric loss, unbalance and temperature, with early warning, event-triggered waveform recording and fault prediction.
Open communications
RS232, RS485 and Ethernet interfaces speaking Modbus, IEC 61850 and IEC 60870-5-103/-104, for direct integration into substation automation and SCADA.
Anti-misoperation interlocks
Cabinet-type banks include electrical and mechanical five-prevention interlocks as standard, coordinated with the front-end switchgear.
Turn-key delivery
Assembled, wired and debugged in-factory, then packaged and shipped as a whole unit, minimizing site workload and commissioning time.
RED-PFC Series technical data
System
- System nominal voltage
- 6 / 10 / 20 / 35 kV
- Rated capacity
- 150 – 30,000 kvar
- Rated frequency
- 50 / 60 Hz
- Main wiring mode
- Single-star or double-star
- Control mode
- Automatic (AVC / VQC) or manual
Insulation & environment
- Insulation level (AC / LI withstand)
- 6 kV: 30/60 kV · 10 kV: 42/75 kV · 20 kV: 65/125 kV · 35 kV: 95/185 kV
- Ambient temperature
- −40 °C to +45 °C
- Degree of protection
- Cabinet IP2X/IP3X · Container IP44/IP52/IP54
- Pollution level
- Cabinet Class III · Container Class II
- Creepage distance
- 25 mm/kV relative to maximum system voltage
- Seismic withstand
- Intensity 8 · 0.2 g horizontal / 0.1 g vertical
Protection & control
- Relay protection schemes
- Open-delta · voltage-differential · unbalanced-current · bridge-differential
- Device protection
- Short-circuit trip, over/under-voltage, over-current, harmonic over-limit, unbalance, over-temperature, fault lock-out
- Switching device
- Vacuum circuit breaker · vacuum contactor · load switch · phase-selective breaker (optional)
- Communications
- RS232 / RS485 / Ethernet · Modbus, IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-103/-104
Construction & standards
- Primary composition
- Capacitor units, series reactors, discharge coils, isolating switch, metal-oxide surge arresters, online monitor, secondary control system
- Design standards
- IEC 60871 series and equivalent national standards
- Configurations
- RED-PFC-C cabinet (indoor) · RED-PFC-X container (outdoor)
Special designs are available beyond the ranges shown. All banks are type-tested by accredited institutions and factory-assembled, tested and commissioned before whole-unit shipment. Wiring, grouping and protection schemes are configured per project.
Where this gets deployed.
- Utility substations at 220 kV and below
- Data center intake substations at 110/220 kV
- Semiconductor and lithium battery production
- Metallurgy and petrochemical plants
- Mining and cement operations
- Rail and traction supply
- HV motor compensation for pumps, compressors, crushers, fans, mills and hoists
- Pumped storage, water treatment, and wind and solar plants
Literature & datasheets
Download the current product literature, or browse the full library including legacy and discontinued systems.
Questions we get asked most.
- What does zero-crossing switching change?
- An optional phase-selective breaker closes each phase at voltage zero. That eliminates the inrush current on closing and the restrike on opening, which is what normally erodes switchgear contacts and stresses capacitor dielectric. The result is longer switchgear and capacitor life, and a smaller disturbance to the rest of the system every time a group switches.
- Cabinet or container?
- Cabinet-type banks are IP2X/IP3X full-metal enclosures for switchrooms and central control rooms, coordinated with front-end switchgear. Container-type banks are IP44–IP54 weatherproof housings for outdoor substation yards and constrained sites, shipped, lifted and energized as one unit. The choice is usually driven by whether you have indoor space to give up.
- How much site work is involved?
- Very little by design. Every bank is assembled, wired and debugged in the factory, then packaged and shipped whole. Site work is primarily positioning, cable termination and commissioning checks.
- Will it integrate with our SCADA?
- Yes. RS232, RS485 and Ethernet interfaces support Modbus, IEC 61850 and IEC 60870-5-103/-104, so the bank integrates directly with substation automation systems and can run unattended.
- Do capacitor banks make harmonics worse?
- They can, if a bank is specified without checking for resonance against the site's existing harmonic spectrum. That is exactly why series reactors are part of the standard module, and why we run a G5 or equivalent harmonic assessment before finalizing a design. Harmonic over-limit alarm and lock-out are built into the protection set as well.
Usually specified alongside this.
STATCOM & SVG
Three-level IGBT STATCOM and MV SVG customised to any size, with standard platforms to ±3600 kvar per system and 6–55 kV. Response from 5 ms, with fault ride-through, harmonic and negative sequence compensation.
Read moreServicesEngineering Consultancy
Grid-code compliance, protection coordination and power system studies, modelled in DIgSILENT PowerFactory and signed off by chartered engineers.
Read moreServicesField Services
Commissioning, FAT/SAT, preventive maintenance, repairs and refurbishment, including legacy PureWave and DSTATCOM fleets the original manufacturer no longer supports.
Read moreSend us the single-line diagram.
We would rather look at your actual system than send you a generic proposal. Share the drawing, the constraint you are working against, and the date you need it working by.
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Renewable Energy & Drives
5325 S Moorland RdNew Berlin, WI 53151United States
Severn Drives & Energy
Units 2 & 3, Kingsley Business ParkNew Road, Kibworth BeauchampLeicestershire, LE8 0LEUnited Kingdom
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