Electric reactive power? Is it real or is the design accepted for calculation?

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namotanimfc · Accepted Answer

It is real in the sense that it is energy transferred to (stored) and extracted (released) from reactive elements (inductance and capacitance) in a circuit, as differentiated from power dissipated as heat in resistance in a circuit (aka “real power”).
The magnetic forces associated with reactive inductive power are used by motors and other inductive loads such as solenoids and electrical relays, to convert electrical energy to mechanical energy. So it is certainly not simply a definition for "acceptance in calculations". Neither is capacitive reactive power.
The term "real power", to describe the power dissipated as heat in resistance, is used in connection with phasor diagrams and power triangles as the component of complex impedance or power on the real axis, whereas the + or - imaginary axis is for the capacitive and inductive components.
Unfortunately the term "real" infers that the reactive power is somehow not "real". In some texts the term "real power" has been replaced with the term "active power", though I'm not sure that helps either.

Electric reactive power? Is it real or is the design accepted for calculation?

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