To select a capacitor bank, there are two major
compensation systems or types.

1 - FIXED TYPE CAPACITOR BANKS

The reactive power supplied by the bank is constant irrespective of the variations of the power factor and load of the receivers and, therefore, of the reactive energy consumption of the installation.

These banks are switched on:

• either manually by a circuit breaker or switch,

• or semi-automatically by a remote-controlled contactor.

This type of bank is generally used in the following cases:

• constant load electrical installations operating 24 hours a day,

• internal reactive compensation of transformers,

• individual compensation of motors.

2 - LES BATTERIES DE CONDENSATEURS AUTOMATIQUES

The reactive power supplied by the bank can be modulated according to the variations of the power factor and the load of the receptors and, therefore, of the reactive energy consumption of the installation.

This type of bank is composed of a parallel combination of capacitor steps (step = capacitor + contactor). Switching all or part of the bank on and off is controlled by a incorporated varmeter regulator.

These banks are generally used in the following cases:

• variable load electrical installations,

• compensation of main switchboards (LVMS) or major outlets,

• installation of a bank with a power greater than the transformer power by 15%.