Aircraft Ground SupportLine Drop Compensators
Line Drop Compensators About Voltage Drops
Higher frequencies, such as 400 Hz, offer several advantages over 60 Hz notably in allowing smaller, lighter power supplies to be used for military hardware, commercial aircraft operations and computer applications. However, higher frequencies are also more sensitive to voltage drop problems. There are two types of drops: resistive and reactive. Resistive losses are a function of current flowing through a conductor with respect to the length and size of the conductor. This is the most important factor in controlling resistive power loss. This applies regardless of frequency. Reactive drops, on the other hand, are caused by the inductive properties of the conductor. Reactive drops are a function of both cable length, current, and the AC frequency flowing through the conductor. With high frequencies such as 400 Hz, reactive drops are up to seven times greater than 60 Hz.
About Rapid's Line Drop Compensator The Rapid 400 Hz Line Drop Compensator constantly monitors line current and automatically inserts enough capacitive reactance to eliminate inductive losses, thus keeping transmission voltage drops to a minimum. It is a passive unit that couples a capacitor and a transformer into the AC circuit. By passive, we mean that no semiconductors or power switching devices are used. The secondary of the transformer has taps that can be selected by the user to compensate for a wide range of inductive losses. Built-in protection against overcurrent prevents damage should short circuiting or surges occur. Rapid's Line Drop Compensator is convection cooled. It requires no special installation. Input and/or output wiring can be brought in from the top, bottom, or sides of the unit. Generally, much greater cable lengths of a given wire size can be used with a Line Drop Compensator. Rapid recommends that any 400 Hz conductor longer than 100-150 feet should consider using a line drop compensator. The Line Drop Compensator uses environmentally-safe oil-filled capacitors and is equipped with up to ten output taps for easy fine-tuning. The stackable cabinets are heavy-gauge steel suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Line Drop Compensators are available in ratings of 40, 90, and 156 kVA. * * Optional: Several Line Drop Compensators can be installed in one enclosure with switchboard configuration and can be constructed for any environmental condition. Specifications
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