Electrical Engineering ⇒ Topic : Load Curve

LOAD CURVES

The curve that shows the variation of load on the power station with respect to time is known as load curve. The load curve may be a daily load curve, monthly load curve or an yearly load curve.

                                          Figure (a) Daily load curve.

Importance

• The variations of the load on the power station can be shown by the load curve.
• The number of units generated per day can be determined by the area under the load curve.
• The maximum demand on the station on that day can be determined from load curve.

Load Curve:- A load curve (or load graph) is a graphic record showing the power demands for every instant during a certain time interval. Such a record may cover 1 hour, in which case it would be an hourly load graph ;24 hours, in which case it would be a daily load graph ; a month in which case it would be a - monthly load graph ; or a year (8760 hours), in which case it would be a yearly load graph. The following points are worth noting               

• The area under the load curve represents the energy generated in the period considered.
• The area under the curve divided by the total number hours gives the average load on the power station.
• The peak load indicated by the load curve / graph represents the maximum demand of the power station.