Both Ammeter and Voltmeter are electrical measuring instruments used for measuring the current and voltage in an electrical circuit, respectively. Read through this article to find out more about Ammeter and Voltmeter and how they are different from each other. Before getting into the differences between Ammeters and Voltmeters, let's get some basic information about these two devices. What is an Ammeter? An electrical measuring instrument that is used to measure electric current in an electric circuit is known as ammeter. As the measurement unit of electric current is ampere and this instrument is used to measure the ... Read More

The rate of work done in an electric circuit is known as electric power. In an electric circuit, there are three types of electric powers viz. active power, reactive power and apparent power. In this article, we will discuss the major differences between active power and reactive power. What is Active Power? In an AC or DC electric circuit, the amount of electric power which is utilized and consumed in doing a work is called active power. Active power is also known as real power or true power. Active power is usually represented by the letter ‘P’ and is ... Read More

LED lamps consume less energy as compared to Halogen lamps. LED lamps are cost efficient too. Read through this article to find out the major differnces between LEDs and Halogen lamps and how they function.What is LED Lamp?An electric lamp which produces light by using light emitting diodes or LEDs is known as an LED lamp or LED light bulb. An LED lamp works on the principle of electroluminescence, i.e. it emits the light due to the interaction of an electric field with a suitable solid.Basically, an LED is a specially doped PN junction diode which is made of special ... Read More

Various Systems of Power TransmissionFor the transmission of electrical power from the generating stations to the substations for distribution, there are various types of power transmission systems are adopted. However, for the transmission of electric power, three-phase three wire transmission system is universally adopted.The different possible systems for electric power transmission are discussed below.DC Transmission SystemWhen the electrical power is transmitted using direct current or voltage, then the transmission system is called the DC transmission system. The transmission system can be further classified into following three types −DC Two-Wire SystemDC Two-Wire with Mid-Point EarthedDC Three-Wire SystemSingle Phase AC SystemWhen the ... Read More

Depreciation of Power Station EquipmentThe reduction in the value of the equipment and other property of the power station every year is known as depreciation. Therefore, a suitable amount, called depreciation charge, must be set aside annually so that by the time the life span of the power plant is over, the collected amount equals to the cost of the replacement of the power plant.Sinking Fund Method of DepreciationIn the sinking fund method of depreciation, a fixed depreciation charge is made every year and the interest is compounded on it annually. The constant depreciation charge is such that the sum ... Read More

Units of EnergyThe capability of an object to do work is called its energy. In electrical engineering, the most important forms of energy are electrical energy, mechanical energy and thermal energy. Different units of measurement are used for the various forms of energy. Although, the units of electrical, mechanical and thermal energies are interchangeable.The units of various forms of energy are described as follows −Mechanical EnergyThe mechanical energy is defined as the product of force and distance, i.e., $$\mathrm{\mathrm{Mechanical \:energy\:=\:Force\: in \:Newton\:\times \:distance\: in \:meters}}$$Therefore, the SI unit of mechanical energy is Newton-meter (Nm) or Joules (J).The mechanical energy of ... Read More

Advantages of High Transmission VoltageElectric power is transmitted at very high voltages due to some technical and economic reasons which are described as follows −1. Reduces the Volume of Conductor MaterialConsider the electric power being transmitting through the three-phase three-wire transmission system.Let, P = Power transmitted (in Watts)V = Line voltage (in Volts)$\mathrm{cos}\:\phi$ = Load power factorR = Resistance per conductor (in ohms)$\mathit{\rho}$ = Resistivity of conductor materiall = length of transmission line (in meters)a = cross sectional area of conductorTherefore, the load current is given by, $$\mathrm{\mathit{I}\:=\:\frac{\mathit{P}}{\sqrt{3}\mathit{V}\mathrm{cos\:\phi }}}$$And the resistance per conductor is$$\mathrm{\mathit{R}\:=\:\rho \:\frac{\mathit{l}}{\mathit{a}}}$$Thus, the total power loss in ... Read More

Power FactorThe cosine of angle between voltage and current in an AC circuit is called the power factor of the circuit. In other words, the power factor is defined as the ratio of active power to the apparent power in the circuit, i.e., $$\mathrm{\mathrm{Power\: factor, }\:\mathrm{cos}\:\phi \:=\:\frac{\mathrm{Active\: power\: (in\: Watts)}}{\mathrm{Apparent\: power \:(in\: VA)}}}$$Where, $\phi$ is the power factor angle.In an AC circuit, there may be a phase difference ($\phi$) between voltage and current. The term cos $\phi$ is called the power factor of the circuit.When the given circuit is inductive, then the current lags behind the voltage and the power ... Read More

Connected LoadThe connected load is defined as the sum of continuous ratings of all the equipment connected to the electrical power station.An electric power station supplies the power to thousands of consumers. Each consumer has certain equipment in his premises. The sum of the continuous ratings of all the equipment in the consumer’s premises is the connected load of the consumer. The sum of the connected loads of all the consumers is called the connected load to the power station.Average LoadThe average load on a power station is defined as the average of loads occurring on the power station in ... Read More

A power plant converts one form of energy (for example, hydro, thermal, nuclear, etc.) to electrical energy. We can broadly classify the power plants as follows −Thermal Power PlantHydroelectric Power PlantNuclear Power PlantDiesel Power PlantIn addition, there can be other types of power plants such as Solar Power Plant and Wind Power Plant, but these type of power plants are so far insignificant in terms of capacity and utilization.In this article, we will compare and contrast the different attributes of thermal, hydroelectric, nuclear, and diesel power plantsThermal Power PlantA Thermal Power Plant is a generating station which converts heat energy ... Read More