Three-Phase Circuits

Chapter 12

12.1 What is a Three-Phase Circuit?

12.2 Balanced Three-Phase Voltages
12.3 Balanced Three-Phase Connection
12.4 Power in a Balanced System
12.5 Unbalanced Three-Phase Systems
12.6 Application – Residential Wiring

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 What is a Three-Phase Circuit?

• In this system, there are three sources of the same

amplitude.
• There are 120° differences between the phase angles of
the sources.
• They are produced by three-phase electric generators.

Advantages:

1. Three-phase electricity generation is more efficient than single-phase generation.

2. Three-phase electrical distribution is more efficient than single-phase distribution.
3. The cost of cables used in three-phase electricity distribution is less than the cost in
single-phase.
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 12.2 Balanced Three-Phase Voltages

The generated voltages

Y-connection Δ-connection

• An electric generator generates three-phase voltages.

• A balanced load is one in which the three impedances are identical.
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Example 1

Determine the phasors of the set of voltages.

van  200 cos(t  10)
vbn  200 cos(t  230)
vcn  200 cos(t  110)

Answer:
Van  20010 V
Vbn  200  230 V
Vcn  200  110 V 4
 12.3 Balanced Three-Phase Connections (1)

• Four possible connections

1. Y-Y connection (Y-connected source with a Y-

connected load)

2. Y-Δ connection (Y-connected source with a Δ-

connected load)

3. Δ-Δ connection

4. Δ-Y connection
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• A balanced Y-Y system is a three-phase system with a
balanced y-connected source and a balanced y-connected load.

VL  3V p , where
V p  Van  Vbn  Vcn
VL  Vab  Vbc  Vca

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Example 2
Calculate the line currents in the three-wire Y-Y system
shown below:

Ans
I a  6.81  21.8 A
I b  6.81  141.8 A
I c  6.8198.2 A

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*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook
• A balanced Y-Δ system is a three-phase system with a
balanced y-connected source and a balanced Δ-connected load.

I L  3 I p , where
I L  I a  Ib  Ic
I p  I AB  I BC  I CA

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Example 3
A balanced abc-sequence Y-connected source with Van  10010
It is connected to a Δ-connected load (8+j4) per phase. Calculate the phase
and line currents.

Solution

Using single-phase analysis,

Van 10010
Ia    33.54  16.57 A
Z / 3 2.98126.57
Other line currents are obtained using the abc phase sequence

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• A balanced Δ-Δ system is a three-phase system with a
balanced Δ -connected source and a balanced Δ -connected load.

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Example 4
A balanced Δ-connected load having an impedance 20-j15  is connected
to a Δ-connected positive-sequence generator having Vab=330V.
Calculate the phase currents of the load and the line currents.

Ans:

The phase currents

I AB  13.236.87 A; I BC  13.2  81.13 A; I AB  13.2156.87 A

The line currents

I a  22.866.87 A; Ib  22.86  113.13 A; I c  22.86126.87 A

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• A balanced Δ-Y system is a three-phase system with a
balanced y-connected source and a balanced y-connected load.

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Example 5
A balanced Y-connected load with a phase impedance 40+j25  is
supplied by a balanced, positive-sequence Δ-connected source with a
line voltage of 210V. Calculate the phase currents. Use Vab as reference.

Answer

I AN  2.57  62 A;
The phase currents
I BN  2.57  178 A;
ICN  2.5758 A;

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook 13

 12.4 Power in a Balanced System (1)
• Comparing the power loss in (a) a single-phase system, and
(b) a three-phase system

PL2 PL2
P 'loss  2 R 2 , single - phase P 'loss  R ' 2 , three - phase
VL VL

• If same power loss is tolerated in both system, three-phase system use

only 75% of materials of a single-phase system
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 12.5 Unbalanced Three-Phase Systems (1)
• An unbalanced system is due to unbalanced voltage sources or
an unbalanced load.

VAN V V
Ia  , I b  BN , I c  CN ,
ZA ZB ZC

I n  ( I a  I b  I c )

• To calculate power in an unbalanced three-phase system requires that

we find the power in each phase.
• The total power is not simply three times the power in one phase but the
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sum of the powers in the three phases.
 12.3 Unbalanced Three-Phase Systems (2)

Example 6
Determine the total average power, reactive power, and complex power at
the source and at the load

Ans
At the source:
Ss = -(2087 + j834.6) VA
Pa = -2087W
Pr = -834.6VAR

At the load:
SL = (1392 + j1113) VA
Pa = 1392W
Pr = 1113VAR 16
*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook