Case study · Food & Beverage
Blown fuses and tired capacitors at In2Foods Paarl.
In August 2026 we surveyed the power factor correction bank at In2Foods in Paarl. It was rated 250 kVAr and delivering 185. One step had blown fuses on one phase, and two steps had capacitors giving about half their rating. After the repair, the bank measured 258.7 kVAr and the site's operating power factor was 0.99.
- The 250 kVAr bank was delivering 185 kVAr, 26% short, with nothing tripped and no alarm.
- Three of five steps were at fault, one with blown fuses on one phase and two with capacitors at about half their rating.
- After the repair, every step measured 51.3 to 52.2 kVAr and the site ran at a power factor of 0.99.
By Oliver Nesbitt, Sales & Client Relations, Augos Energy
How can a PFC bank look fine and still be failing?
A PFC bank doesn't trip when it loses capacity. The controller switches steps in, the lights on the door come on, and the plant keeps running. What changes is how many kVAr each step actually delivers. You only find out by measuring each step.
In2Foods' bank in Paarl has five 50 kVAr steps on Incomer 1, run by an ABB RVC controller on a 2000/5 CT. On the day of the survey, 13 August 2026, supply voltage was 237, 235 and 236 V. The controller couldn't give us an operating power factor, so the report records it as unknown.
What did the survey find?
We measured current on each phase and the kVAr of each step:
- Step 1: 0 A on one phase, and 29.6 kVAr instead of 50. The fuses for that phase had blown.
- Steps 3 and 4: 26.3 and 25.9 kVAr. The capacitors were faulty and delivering about half their rating.
- Steps 2 and 5: delivering their full 50 kVAr.
- A contactor auxiliary with discharge resistors was missing.
Added up, the bank delivered 185 kVAr against 250 rated, a shortfall of 65 kVAr, or 26%.
What was repaired?
The blown fuses and faulty capacitors were replaced and the missing contactor auxiliary was fitted. We tested again on 28 August 2026. All five steps measured 51.3 to 52.2 kVAr, the bank total was 258.7 kVAr, and the operating power factor was 0.99. In2Foods has asked for the ABB controller to be replaced with a Lovato DCRG8, which they will supply.
What was the saving?
This site isn't metered on our platform, so I can't give a rand saving from measured data, and I won't estimate one. To put a number on it, we'd need the utility bills for a few months before 13 August and a full month after 28 August, or a meter on the incomer.
What I'd tell any plant engineer
If nobody has measured your PFC steps in the last year, you don't know what the bank is delivering. Three of the five steps here were at fault and nobody knew. Get each step measured, not just the panel checked by eye.
Figures from the Augos PFC survey report of 13 August 2026 and the post-repair report of 28 August 2026.
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Questions
How do I know if my PFC bank is losing capacity?
Measure each step's current and kVAr against its rating. A step that reads well below its rating, or 0 A on one phase, has a fault. A panel can look normal from the outside while delivering a quarter less than it should.
Why do PFC capacitors lose capacity?
Capacitors age, and heat and voltage stress speed that up. As they lose capacitance, the step delivers fewer kVAr. At this plant two steps were delivering about half of their 50 kVAr.
What does a blown fuse do to a PFC step?
It takes one phase out of that step. Here step 1 read 0 A on one phase and delivered 29.6 kVAr instead of 50.
Do I need an Augos meter to get a PFC survey?
No. The survey is done at the panel with test instruments. Metering adds the monthly rand view, but it isn't needed for the survey or the repair.
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