Question 261Electricity & Electronics - 1st Asst/Chief

The correct answer is B) unity. The power factor of the main power distribution should be unity (1.0) for an AC diesel-electric drive ship with a synchronous propulsion motor. This is because synchronous motors can be operated at a unity power factor by adjusting the field current to maintain the desired power factor. The other options are incorrect because: A) zero power factor is not desirable, C) lagging power factor would indicate that the system is drawing more reactive power, and D) leading power factor, while better than lagging, is still not the ideal unity power factor.