Three Phase A. C.

• Three Phase AC
• A Three Phase system is: several single phase
systems, displaced in time phase from one
another.
• The single phase systems are interconnected
in some way.
• All modern generators are three phase
• Advantage:
– Three phase apparatus is more efficient in the
sense it uses less material (iron and copper) for a
given capacity (power)
– Costs less than single phase apparatus which
handles the same power
• Called Three phase as there are three
sinusoidal waves of different time phase.
• Any no of phases can be developed by
properly spacing the coils on the stator
• Mercury arc Rectifiers are 6-12 phase
• Rotary converters are 6 phase
• For a fixed amount of power to be transmitted
over a fixed distance at a fixed iron loss with a
fixed voltage between the conductors –
Three phase system is more economical in the
use of copper than any other no of phases
• Three Phase AC : Balanced Three Phase Supply

• Three identical coils (windings) symmetrically

0
placed 360  120 apart mechanically along
0

3
the periphery of the stator
• Alternators (AC Synchronous generators)
generate three phase AC
• At this position, for Generator, Fleming’s right
hand rule- e.m.f. induced in coil A maxm. And
a conductor placed at position A will have
e.m.f. directions outwards.
• A conductor at position B will experience max
e.m.f. outwards, 1200 later than when the pole
axis was at along position A.
• Similarly max e.m.f. will occur outwards in coil
C, 1200 later than that at B and 2400 later than
that at A.
• Hence e.m.f.s in coils A, B and C will be 1200
out of ‘time’ phase.
• Phase sequence (of supply): CCW rotation
here gives phase ‘B’ (Yellow) lagging ‘A’ (Red)
and phase ‘C’ (Blue) lagging ‘B’ by 1200 each.
• The order in which phase Red, Yellow and Blue
attain their max values is R-Y-B. This is called
the phase sequence.
• If rotation of Field (rotor) is reversed, the
order in which the phase will attain maximum
will also be reversed. The phase sequence will
be R-B-Y.
• Phase sequence of applied voltages to a load:
is fixed by the sequence of the supply lines
• The phase sequence of the load may be
reversed by interchanging any pair of the
supply lines.
• Balanced Three Phase Supply
• 3 phase 4 wire system: Star/Wye connection
common connection at one end of the three
coils – Neutral point (N).
• VRN, VYN and VBN are Phase voltages or Line-to-
neutral voltages.
• Voltages between terminals R, Y and B are called
Line or Terminal voltages: VRY , VYB , VBR
• Phase voltages: VRN , VYN , VBN
• For a balanced three phase supply (Same
amplitude, 1200 time phase apart):
Let, V  V00
RN

VYN  V  120 0

VBN  V  240 0
Then
VRY  VRN  VNY  VRN  VYN
 V00  V  1200
 3 V300

VRY  VRN  VYN

VYB  VYN  VBN
VBY  VBN  VRN

Magnitude of Line Voltage = 3 Phase Voltage

RMS Line = 3 × 240 = 415 V, if Phase V = 240 V
RMS Line = 3 × 230 = 400 V, if Phase V = 230 V
• Line and Phase Voltages

VRY  VRN  VYN

VYB  VYN  VBN
VBR  VBN  VRN
• Balanced Three Phase Supply- Delta Connection:
• Three Phase Three Wire system: In Delta connection,
since the instantaneous sum of the the phase voltages
are zero, no current flows in the series circuit of the
three coils.

• Delta Connection
Phase voltages =
Line voltages
• Since at any instant, VRY  VYB  VBR  0 , no current flows
around the series circuit of the three coils.
• Line and Phase voltages are equal
• Line Currents:
• Let, I R  I L  , IY  I L   120 , I B  I L   240
0 0 0

• Phase Currents:
I
• Let, RY  I 0 0
, I YB  I  120 0
, I BR  I  240 0

• Then I R  I RY  I BR
 I00  I  2400

•
 3 I  30 0

I Y  I YB  I RY
•
I B  I BR  I YB
• Balanced Three Phase supply connected to star
connected LOAD:
• Identical impedances connected to a common point
constitute a three phase Balanced Wye/Star Load
• A balanced three phase supply connected to a
balanced three phase load (star/delta) constitutes a
balanced three phase system
• When system is balanced, the three phase
currents (supply as well as load) are equal in
magnitude (RMS) and differ in phase by 1200.
• The phase difference between each phase
voltage and current is defined by the Load (R,
L, C) parameters – LOAD POWER FACTOR
• For a Star connected load with a balanced four
wire supply (star connected) line and phase
currents are equal
I R  I 0 , IY  I  1200 , I B  I  2400
• Neutral wire current is zero:
I N  I R  IY  I B  0
• When balanced three phase voltages are
impressed on this load, all impedances have
equal voltages (RMS value) across them.
• The ratio of the load line and load phase
voltages are same as the supply line and
phase voltages resp.
• The current, power, etc, may then be found by
considering each circuit as a single phase only
• Not to confuse PHASE quantities with LINE
quantitites.
• Problem: In figure below 220 V balanced 3 ø
line voltages are applied to a STAR/WYE load
with R = 6 Ω and X = 8 Ω, inductive, Find phase
currents line currents, power per phase and
total real and reactive power. Draw phasor
diagram
• Solution:
220 00
VR  3
 ?; Z R  6  j8   ?;
VR
I RN   ?; Per phase power  VR I *RN  P  jQ  ?
ZR
PR  VR I RN Cosφ  ?; QR  VR I RN Sinφ  ?
Total Power, P  3PR  ?
Assuming phase sequence to be R - Y - B, finally
Phase voltages :
VR  ? ; VY  ? ; VB  ? ;
Phase currents  Line Currents :
I RN  ? ; I YN  ? ; I BN  ? ;
PRN  ? ; PYN  ? ; PBN  ? ; Total power  ?
• Problem: Solve previous problem for Delta
connected load and same 220 V balanced 3 ø
line voltages are applied to a delta connected
load with R = 6 Ω and X = 8 Ω, inductive, Find
phase currents line currents, power per phase
and total real and reactive power. Draw
phasor diagram
Three Phase Three Wattmeter method of measuring power