THREE PHASE

CIRCUIT
 Objectives
• Explain the differences between single-phase,
two-phase and three-phase.
• Be familiar with different three-phase
configurations and how to analyze them.
• Compute and define Balanced/Unbalanced Three-
Phase voltages.
• Determine the phase and line voltages/currents
for Three-Phase systems.
 Learn about instantaneous power and average
power
 Learn about the complex power, apparent
power and power factor
 Learn about power factor correction
 Apply what is learnt to three-phase measurement
 EXAMPLE # 1
• Determine the phase sequence
of the set voltages:

van 200 cost  10 

vbn 200 cost  230 
vcn 200 cost  110 
 BALANCED VOLTAGE AND
LOAD
• Balanced Phase Voltage: all
phase voltages are equal in
magnitude and are out of phase
with each other by 120.
• Balanced Load: the phase
impedances are equal in
magnitude and in phase.
THREE PHASE CIRCUIT
• POWER
– The instantaneous power is constant

p (t )  pa (t )  pb (t )  pc (t )
VM I M
3 cos 
2
3Vrms I rms cos( )
 THREE PHASE CIRCUIT
Three Phase Power,
•Complex Power S

ST S A  S B  S C 3 S
•Apparent Power |S|
THREE PHASE QUANTITIES
QUANTITY SYMBOL

Phase current I

Line current IL

Phase voltage V

Line voltage VL
 PHASE VOLTAGES and LINE
VOLTAGES
• Phase voltage is measured
between the neutral and any line:
line to neutral voltage
• Line voltage is measured
between any two of the three
lines: line to line voltage.
PHASE CURRENTS and LINE
CURRENTS
• Line current (IL) is the current
in each line of the source or
load.

• Phase current (I) is the current

in each phase of the source or
load.
THREE PHASE
CONNECTION
SOURCE-LOAD CONNECTION
SOURCE LOAD CONNECTION

Wye Wye Y-Y

Wye Delta Y-

Delta Delta - 

Delta Wye -Y

 SOURCE-LOAD
CONNECTION
• Common connection of source:
WYE
– Delta connected sources: the
circulating current may result in the
delta mesh if the three phase voltages
are slightly unbalanced.
• Common connection of load: DELTA
– Wye connected load: neutral line may
not be accessible, load can not be
added or removed easily.
WYE CONNECTION
WYE CONNECTED
GENERATOR
I a
a

Van
Vab
n Vbn

Ib Vca
b
Vcn

Vbc

Ic
c
WYE CONNECTED LOAD
a a
ZY
b

b
OR ZY
Load
ZY
c c
ZY

Load
n n
BALANCED Y-Y CONNECTION
PHASE CURRENTS AND LINE
CURRENTS
• In Y-Y system:

I L I φ
 We can connect the negative (ground) ends of
the three single-phase generators and loads
together, so they share the common return line
(neutral).
The current flowing through a neutral can be
found as
I N I A  I B  IC I     I     1200  I     2400 (3.7.1)

I cos(  )  jI sin(  )  I cos(   1200 )  jI sin(   1200 )  I cos(   2400 )  jI sin(    2400 )
I  cos(  )  cos(   1200 )  cos(   2400 )   jI  sin(  )  sin(   1200 )  sin(   2400 ) 
I  cos(  )  cos(  ) cos(1200 )  sin(  )sin(1200 )  cos(   )cos(2400 )  sin(  )sin(2400 ) 
 jI  sin(  )  sin(  ) cos(1200 )  cos(  )sin(1200 )  sin(   ) cos(2400 )  cos(  )sin(2400 ) 

 1 3 1 3 
Which is: I N I  cos(  )  cos(  )  sin(  )  cos(  )  sin(  ) 
 2 2 2 2 
 1 3 1 3 
 jI  sin(  )  sin(  )  cos(  )  sin(   )  cos(   ) 
 2 2 2 2 
0 (3.7.2)
As long as the three loads are equal, the return
current in the neutral is zero!

In a balanced system, the neutral is unnecessary!

 PHASE VOLTAGES, V

• Phase voltage is Ia
a
measured
VVanan
between the Vab
VVbnbn
neutral and any n
Ib
line: line to b
Vca
VVcn
neutral voltage cn

Vbc

Ic
c
PHASE VOLTAGES, V

Van VM 0 volt

Vbn VM   120 volt
Vcn VM 120 volt
 LINE VOLTAGES, VL
Ia
a
• Line voltage is
measured Van
Vab
between any two n Vbn
ab

of the three lines: Ib V

Vca
line to line
ca
b
Vcn
voltage.
V
V bc bc

Ic
c
 LINE VOLTAGES, VL
Vab Van  Vbn
Vbc Vbn  Vcn
Vca Vcn  Van
Vab  3VM 30
Vbc  3VM   90
Vca  3VM 150
Van VM 0 volt
PHASE
Vbn VM   120 volt VOLTAGE (V)
Vcn VM 120 volt

Vab  3 VM 30 volt

LINE
VOLTAGE Vbc  3 VM   90 volt
(VL)
Vca  3 VM 150 volt
PHASE DIAGRAM OF VL
AND V

Vcn
Vca Vab

30°
-Vbn
120° Van

Vbn

Vbc
 PROPERTIES OF PHASE
VOLTAGE
• All phase voltages have the same
magnitude,

V  Van 
= V
bn  Vcn
=

• Out of phase with each other by

120
 PROPERTIES OF LINE
VOLTAGE
• All line voltages have the same
magnitude,

VL  Vab 
= V
bc  Vca
=

• Out of phase with each other by

120
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN V
and VL
1. Magnitude

VL  3 V
2. Phase
- VL LEAD their corresponding V by
30
VL V  30
 Analysis of balanced
systems
We can determine voltages, currents, and
powers at various points in a balanced
circuit.
Consider a Y-connected generator and load
via three-phase transmission line.

For a balanced Y-connected system,

insertion of a neutral does not change
the system.
All three phases are identical except of
1200 shift. Therefore, we can analyze a
single phase (per-phase circuit).

Limitation: not valid for -

connections…
 EXAMPLE 1
• Calculate the line currents
 Power relationships
For a balanced Y-connected load with the impedance Z =
Z0:
and voltages:
van (t )  2V sin t
vbn (t )  2V sin(t  1200 )
vcn (t )  2V sin(t  2400 )

The currents can be

found:
ia (t )  2 I sin(t   )
ib (t )  2 I sin(t  1200   )
ic (t )  2 I sin(t  2400   )
 Power relationships
The instantaneous power is:

p (t ) v(t )i (t ) (3.18.1
)

Therefore, the instantaneous power supplied to each

phase is:
pa (t ) van (t )ia (t ) 2VI sin(t ) sin(t   )
pb (t ) vbn (t )ib (t ) 2VI sin(t  120 0 ) sin(t  120 0   ) (3.18.2
)
pc (t ) vcn (t )ic (t ) 2VI sin(t  240 0 ) sin(t  240 0   )

Since
1
sin  sin    cos(   )  cos(   )  (3.18.3
2 )
 Power relationships
Therefore

pa (t ) VI  cos   cos(2t   ) 

pb (t ) VI  cos   cos(2t  2400   )  (3.19.1
)
pc (t ) VI  cos   cos(2t  4800   ) 

The total power on the

load
ptot (t )  pa (t )  pb (t )  pc (t ) 3VI cos  (3.19.2
)

The pulsing components cancel each other

because of 1200 phase shifts.
 Power relationships

The instantaneous
power in phases.

The total power

supplied to the
load is constant.
 The important consequences of the instantenous power equation
of a balanced three phase system are:
p 3V p I p cos

The instantenous power is not function of time.

The total power behaves similar to DC power.
This result is true whether the load is Y or  connected.
The AVERAGE POWER per phase is obtained as Pp  p .
3

Pp  p V p I p cos 
3
 Power relationships
Phase quantities in each phase of a Y- or -
connection.

Real P 3V I cos  3I 2 Z cos 

Reactive Q 3V I sin  3I 2 Z sin 

Apparent S 3V I 3I 2 Z

Note: these equations are valid for balanced loads only.

 Power relationships
Line quantities: Y-connection.
Power consumed by a P 3V I cos  (3.22.1
load: )

Since for this load I L I and VLL  3V (3.22.2

)

VLL
Therefore: P 3 I L cos  (3.22.3
3 )

Finally: P  3VLL I L cos  (3.22.4

)

Note: these equations are valid for balanced loads only.

 Example :

For a 208-V three-

phase ideally
balanced system,
find:
a)the magnitude of
the line current IL;
b)The magnitude of
the load’s line and
phase voltages VLL
and VL;
c)The real, reactive,
and the apparent
powers consumed
by the load;
d)The power factor
of the load.
 Both, the generator and the load are
Y-connected, therefore, it’s easy to
construct a per-phase equivalent
circuit…
Btw: is the load inductive or
capacitive??
a) The line current:
V 12000 12000 12000 0
IL     0
7.94  37.1 A
Z L  Z load (0.06  j 0.12)  (12  j 9) 12.06  j 9.12 15.1237.1

b) The phase voltage on the

load:
V L I L Z L (7.94  37.10 )(12  j 9) (7.94  37.10 )(1536.9 0 ) 119.1  0.2 0V
The magnitude of the line voltage on the
load:
VLL  3V L 206.3V
 c) The real power consumed by the
load:
Pload 3V I cos  3 119.1 7.94 cos 36.9 2270W
0

The reactive power consumed by the

load:
Qload 3V I sin  3 119.1 7.94sin 36.9 1702var
0

The apparent power consumed by the

load:
Sload 3V I 3 119.1 7.94 2839VA

d) The load power factor:

PFload cos  cos 36.90 0.8 lagging

DELTA CONNECTION