Utilization Factor

Definition - What does Utilization Factor mean?

Utilization Factor is the ratio between the usage time for which an equipment has been functional to the total time for which it could be used. Utilization factor is often averaged over time such that the ratio becomes the amount of energy used divided by the maximum possible which could have been used. It is also known as use factor. In electrical engineering, utilization factor is the ratio of the maximum load which could be drawn to the rated capacity of the system.

Petropedia explains Utilization Factor

Utilization factor is closely related to the concept of Load factor. Load factor is the ratio of the load that a piece of equipment actually draws (time averaged) when it is in operation to the load it can draw (which we call full load).

For example, an oversized motor - 15 kW - drives a constant 12 kW load whenever it is on. The motor load factor is then 12/15 = 80%. The motor above may only be used for eight hours a day, 50 weeks a year. The hours of operation would then be 2800 hours, and the motor's utilization factor for a base of 8760 hours per year would be 2800/8760 = 31.96%. With a base of 2800 hours per year, the motor utilization factor would be 100%.

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