Scribd
Upload
151 views3 pages

Two-Phase Electric Power - Wikipedia

towphase

Uploaded by

Jai Nair
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
151 views3 pages

Two-Phase Electric Power - Wikipedia

towphase

Uploaded by

Jai Nair
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

6/25/22, 10:40 PM Two-phase electric power - Wikipedia

Two-phase electric power


Two-phase electrical power was
an early 20th-century polyphase
alternating current electric power
distribution system. Two circuits
were used, with voltage phases
differing by one-quarter of a cycle,
90°. Usually circuits used four wires,
two for each phase. Less frequently,
three wires were used, with a
common wire with a larger-diameter
conductor. Some early two-phase
generators had two complete rotor A simplified diagram of a two-phase alternator[1]
and field assemblies, with windings
physically offset to provide two-phase
power. The generators at Niagara Falls installed in 1895 were the largest generators in the world at
that time and were two-phase machines. Three-phase systems eventually replaced the original
two-phase power systems for power transmission and utilization. There remain few two-phase
distribution systems, with examples in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; many buildings in Center City
are permanently wired for two-phase[2] and Hartford, Connecticut.[3]

Contents
Comparison with single-phase power
Comparison with three-phase power
See also
References

Comparison with single-phase power


The advantage of two-phase electrical power over single-phase was that it allowed for simple, self-
starting electric motors. In the early days of electrical engineering, it was easier to analyze and
design two-phase systems where the phases were completely separated.[4] It was not until the
invention of the method of symmetrical components in 1918 that polyphase power systems had a
convenient mathematical tool for describing unbalanced load cases. The revolving magnetic field
produced with a two-phase system allowed electric motors to provide torque from zero motor
speed, which was not possible with a single-phase induction motor (without an additional starting
means). Induction motors designed for two-phase operation use a similar winding configuration
as capacitor start single-phase motors. However, in a two-phase induction motor, the impedances
of the two windings are identical.

Two-phase circuits also have the advantage of constant combined power into an ideal load,
whereas power in a single-phase circuit pulsates at twice the line frequency due to the zero
crossings of voltage and current.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-phase_electric_power 1/3
6/25/22, 10:40 PM Two-phase electric power - Wikipedia

Comparison with three-phase power


Three-phase electric power requires less conductor mass for the same voltage and overall power,
compared with a two-phase four-wire circuit of the same carrying capacity.[5] It has replaced two-
phase power for commercial distribution of electrical energy, but two-phase circuits are still found
in certain control systems.

Two-phase circuits typically use two separate pairs of current-carrying conductors. Alternatively,
three wires may be used, but the common conductor carries the vector sum of the phase currents,
which requires a larger conductor. The vector sum of balanced three-phase currents, however, is
zero, allowing for the neutral wires to be eliminated. In electrical power distribution, a
requirement of only three conductors, rather than four, represented a considerable distribution-
wire cost savings due to the expense of conductors and installation.

While both two-phase and three-phase circuits have a constant combined power for an ideal load,
practical devices such as motors can suffer from power pulsations in two-phase systems.[4] These
power pulsations tend to cause increased mechanical noise in transformer and motor laminations
due to magnetostriction and torsional vibration in generator and motor drive shafts.

Two-phase power can be derived from a three-phase source using two transformers in a Scott
connection: One transformer primary is connected across two phases of the supply. The second
transformer is connected to a center-tap of the first transformer, and is wound for 86.6% of the
phase-to-phase voltage on the three-phase system. The secondaries of the transformers will have
two phases 90 degrees apart in time, and a balanced two-phase load will be evenly balanced over
the three supply phases.

See also
Polyphase system
Rotary converter
Single-phase electric power
Split-phase electric power
Three-phase electric power

References
Notes

Specific references

1. Figure 1253 from the 1917 Hawkins Electrical Guide


2. Company advertising services for two-phase: http://www.phillyfacility.com/two_phase.htm
3. Al Williams A Tale of Two Phases and Tech Inertia: https://hackaday.com/2018/03/15/a-tale-of-
two-phases-and-tech-inertia/
4. Thomas J. Blalock "The first polyphase system: a look back at two-phase power for AC
distribution", in IEEE Power and Energy Magazine, March–April 2004, ISSN 1540-7977 (http
s://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:1540-7977) p. 63
5. Terrell Croft and Wilford Summers (ed), American Electricans' Handbook, Eleventh Edition,
McGraw Hill, New York (1987) ISBN 0-07-013932-6 page 3–10, figure 3–23

General references

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-phase_electric_power 2/3
6/25/22, 10:40 PM Two-phase electric power - Wikipedia

Donald G. Fink and H. Wayne Beaty, Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, Eleventh
Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1978, ISBN 0-07-020974-X
Edwin J. Houston and Arthur Kennelly, Recent Types of Dynamo-Electric Machinery, copyright
American Technical Book Company 1897, published by P. F. Collier and Sons New York, 1902

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Two-phase_electric_power&oldid=957510497"

This page was last edited on 19 May 2020, at 06:16 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0;


additional terms may apply. By
using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-phase_electric_power 3/3

You might also like