Kilovolt Amps (kVA) to Kilowatts (kW) Electrical Conversion
When you think that finally you are done with units, conversions, and calculations, we got you more. Not to trouble you but let you know that those can be interesting as well.
The other reason is, that there are a plethora of conversions yet to be learned and discussed. If you think that the unit conversions give you nightmares then stop right there. We know how to turn those nightmares into an easy reality.
We are dedicated to unit conversions because they are important to various subjects. You never know when will you require them but trust me once in a lifetime you will see yourself caught up in the mess. Then, you might want to thank us to let you know about these conversions.
Here, you will learn about the Kilovolt-Ampere (kVA) to Kilowatts (kW) electrical conversion. Before digging into that let us catch up with the necessity of units.
- Units in calculations
Ever happened to you that you wrote down the answers in calculations without mentioning the unit? You might have blamed your teacher for cutting your marks. We all have been there. That is when we were introduced to the importance of units in calculations.
Without them, no quantity can be expressed, measured, or converted. Measurements enable us to compare standard quantities and some unknown sizes. How will you do it when there isn’t any unit? Just imagine your life without them. How would you tell your weight, height, expenses, etc.? They play a very crucial role in human life. So let’s understand them and value them. Trust me in the process you will start liking the units and their conversion.
- Kilowatt
Let’s get a brief introduction as to what is a kilowatt in order to be familiar with conversions and formulae.
The word ‘kilowatt’ surely indicates two meanings with two respective words. The basic ‘kilo’ that we all know refers to thousand and watt to which we call as the unit of power.
The question arises what does it means when they come together – kilowatt. As simple as the two words, Kilowatt is a quantity used to express the measurements of energy when consumed at the rate of 1000 J per second. It can be also called as the unit of power equivalent to 1000 watts. You may see this unit written as kW as an abbreviation for Kilowatts in certain textbooks.
1 kW= 1000 W
1 kW = 1000 J / 1 s
Example: 2 kilowatts of power consumption for consuming 6 kW for 3 hours.
- Relationship between Kilovolt-Ampere (kVA) and Kilowatt (kW)
The standard way of carrying out conversion is to try and find a relationship between the quantities that are to be converted. The beauty of this world lies in the fact that you will always find some common ground between the units. We take leverage of it and solve our day-to-day conversions.
Likewise, we need to find a relation between Kilovolt-Ampere (kVA) and Kilowatt (kW).
Here is the relation,
PF= kW/ kVA
where,
kW= Kilowatts,
PF= Power factor,
kVA = Kilovolt Ampere
We have used the Power factor in earlier conversions and are not new. The relation clearly shows the power factor as the ratio division or ratio between Kilowatt and Kilovolt Ampere.
Formula
Now the electrical knowledge may provide us with the relations but now it becomes our job to find out the formula for conversion. I guess seeing the above relation you might as well are clear that the formula is no rocket science. It is as simple as it appears. We just need some rearrangements after which you might get
kW = kVA X PF
See how simple was that!
You just require finding the common relationship and then the formula will automatically come to you.
How to convert Kilovolt-Ampere (kVA) and Kilowatt (kW)?
At times we may, we may find it difficult to understand the symbols and interpret the correct meaning. It is better if we are able to understand them in words. Just like while coding it is always good to go through an algorithm before jumping onto finger movements. Trust me your task will be way much easier. Likewise let me provide you some simple procedures, explaining the symbols and formula above to meticulously carry out the calculation.
Go through the following steps and avoid any confusion in the way,
- The first task is to observe the equation carefully to understand your requirements. The quantities mentioned will have some values to it. Hence, get the values and fulfill the requirement gathering.
- The next step involves a decision-making process as you want to go with – manual calculation or calculator. Well, let’s agree that no one wants to recalculate so why not go with a calculator for error-free results.
- Now let’s get into the calculative process. You just need to follow basic school mathematics. Put the values in the equation which we call substitution.
- As per the equation, to get the result in kilowatts you need to apply the concept of multiplication to two quantities- kilovolt-Ampere and PF.
- The product of kVA and PF will give you the desired result. If you are assuming about the Power factor, then let me tell you it is easy to recognize. Any value given between the numbers 0 and 1 will be your Power factor. ( e.g. 0.6,0.9 etc.).
- We have a power factor in this equation because it was the basis to develop the relationship. It is the ratio of actual power to apparent power which in this case is kW to kVA.
- Benefits
There are a number of benefits of conversion and units as discussed earlier. The definition of a kilowatt is enough to tell about all the importance it has. The consumption of power is required to be measured in watts and when you deal with a thousand joules of energy we need kilowatts. Further, with its help, you can learn about kilowatt-hours which ultimately lets you reduce your monthly billings by understanding the hourly consumption of electrical devices.
