Three Phase Circuits

Fundamentals of ■ A circuit that contains a source that produces

sinusoidal voltages with different phases is
Electrical Engineering called a polyphase system.
Three phase power ■ Most of the generation and distribution of
electric power is accomplished with polyphase
Dr. Tapan K Saha system.
■ The most common polyphase system is the
balanced three-phase system, which has the
property that it supplies constant instantaneous
power.

A Wye connected three phase

Three-Phase Wye Source
source
a
V cn
■ Terminals a, b and c are called line terminals
V an
or lines and n is called the neutral terminal.
n V an
■ The source is said to be balanced if the voltages
V cn Vb n
Positive
Van, Vbn and Vcn called phase voltages, have the
Sequence-abc
V bn same magnitude and sum to zero that is if :
c b
V bn ■ | Van |= | Vbn | = | Vcn |
■ and Van+ Vbn + Vcn = 0
V an
Negative
sequence-acb
V cn

Phase Sequence Line-line and per phase voltage

■ Two Cases are possible to satisfy above
conditions.
■ Case 1 : Van= Vm∠0o Vbn= Vm∠-120o
Vcn= Vm∠-240o
■ Case 2 : Van= Vm∠0o Vbn= Vm∠-240o
Vcn= Vm∠-120o
■ Case 1: Van leads Vbn by 120 degrees and Vbn
leads Vcn by 120 degrees. It is called positive
phase sequence or abc phase sequence.
■ Case 2: Van leads Vcn by 120 degrees and Vcn leads
Vbn by 120 degrees. It is called negative phase
sequence or acb phase sequence.
■ We can easily calculate line to line voltages based
on line to neutral or per phase voltage
■ From Figure 1: Vab= Van +Vnb = Van -Vbn = Vm∠0o -
Vm∠-120o =√ √3 Vm∠30o
■ Similarly: Vbc= Vbn +Vnc = Vbn -Vcn = Vm∠-120o -
Vm∠-240o =√ √3 Vm∠-90o
■ Similarly: Vca= Vcn +Vna = Vcn -Van = Vm∠-240o -
Vm∠0o =√ √3 Vm∠-210o =√ √3 Vm∠150o

1
 Line-Line and Phase Phasor diagram relating phase
relationship and line voltages
■ Thus, the line to line voltage has a
V cn V ab = V an -V bn
magnitude equal to √3 times the V ca = V cn -V an
magnitude of the phase voltage and it
V an
leads the corresponding phase voltage by
30o
■ VL=√√3 Vp∠30o
■ It can be observed that the line currents are V bn
identical to the corresponding phase currents. V bc = V bn -V cn
■ IL=Ip

Balanced Y Connected Three Balanced Y-Y Connected three

Phase Load phase circuit
a A ■ IAN= Van/Z, IBN= Vbn/Z, ICN= Vcn/Z
■ By KCL: IAN+ IBN+ ICN=(Van+ Vbn+ Vcn)/Z = 0
Van Z
■ There is no current in the neutral wire (the
n short circuit between terminals n and N).
N
V cn Vbn
Neutral wire can be removed without affecting
Z Z
the voltage and currents.
b
c ■ If the lines all have the same impedance, the
B
C effective load is still balanced and so the
neutral current is zero, and the neutral wire
Balanced Y-Y
connected three-phase can be again removed.
circuit

Delta Connected Load Delta Connected Load

Ia

■ It is assumed that balanced abc phase

∠0o
I ca
I ab Z
Z
sequence voltages are applied and Vab=V∠
Ib I bc
■ The phase currents will be:
Z ∠θ )= (V/Z)∠
Iab= Vab/(Z∠ ∠-θ
θ =I∠
∠-θθ
∠θ )= (V/Z)∠∠(-θ
θ-120) =I∠
∠(-θ
θ-120)
Ic
■ Ibc=Vbc/(Z∠
V ca Ica ■ Ica= Vca/(Z∠∠θ )= (V/Z)∠
∠(-θ
θ-240) =I∠
∠(-θ
θ-240)
θ
V ab
30o Iab

Ibc

-I ca
V bc Ia

2

Delta Connected Load
■ Line currents: Ia= Iab-Ica= √3Iab∠ ∠-30o= √3I∠∠(- θ -30o)
■ Ib= Ibc-Iab= √3Ibc∠ ∠-30o= √3I∠ ∠(- θ -150o)
■ Ic= Ica-Ibc= √3Ica∠∠-30o= √3I∠ ∠(- θ -270o)
■ It may be concluded that line to line voltages are
identical to the phase voltages for delta connected loads
VL= VP
■ Delta connected load may be transformed into an
equivalent Wye connected load so that the terminal
behaviour of the two configurations will be identical.
That is corresponding line to line voltages and line
currents will be the same.
■ For balanced load: ZY=(Z∆)/3
Power in a Balanced Three
Phase System
■ The total average power absorbed by a three phase
balanced load or delivered by a three phase generator,
is equal to the sum of the powers in each phase. The
voltage and currents in each phase are equal.
■ Vp=Van=Vbn=Vcn, Ip=Ian=Ibn=Icn,
■ Therefore the total three-phase power is PT=3Pp= 3Vp
Ip cosθθp, where θp is the phase angle between the
voltage and the current.
■ Similarly: Total reactive power is QT=3Qp= 3Vp Ip
θp
sinθ
■ Total apparent power = 3Vp Ip

Power in a Balanced Three Instantaneous Power in

Phase System Balanced Three Phase System
■ For a three phase wye-connected load or generator ■ For a balanced three phase load, the total
VL=√ √3Vp , IL = Ip, instantaneous power is equal to the sum of the
individual power s of the three phases.
■ For a three phase Delta-connected load or ■ pT= pa+pb+pc = van ia + vbn ib + vcn ic
generator VL=Vp , IL = √3 Ip, ■ Assuming abc phase sequence: pT= Vm Im cosω ωt cos(ω
ωt-
■ Hence P & Q equation becomes same as below θP) + Vm Im cos(ω
ωt-120o) cos(ω
ωt-θθP- 120o) + Vm Im
(irrespective of type of load or generator) ωt-240o) cos(ω
cos(ω ωt-θ
θP- 240o)
■ Where Vm and Im are the peak values of the phase
■ PT=3Pp= 3Vp Ip cosθ θp = √3 VL IL cosθ
θp,
voltages and currents respectively and θP is the phase
■ QT=3Qp= 3Vp Ip sinθ θp = √3 VL IL sinθ
θp, angle by which the current lags the voltage in each
phase.
■ ST= 3Vp Ip = √3 VL IL

Instantaneous Power in
Three Phase Power Measurement
Balanced Three Phase System
■ pT=3[Vm Im cos(θ θP) ]/2+ Vm Im [cos(2ω
ωt-θ θP) V cb

+cos(2ωωt- θP +120o) +cos(2ωωt-θ

θP- 120o)]/2
■ Since the second term on the right hand side a W1 Ia Ic
V ab
is identically zero, pT=3[Vm Im cos(θ θP) ]/2 V cn 30
■ This demonstrates an important property of b Ib θ
Balanced 30
a balanced three-phase system: the total Wye V an

instantaneous power is time invariant. Ic

Load θ Ia

c W2 V bn

3
 Three Phase Power Three Phase Power
Measurement Measurement
■ Two wattmeters can be used to measure total ■ Difference of the two readings is W2 -W1
power.
=VL IL[cos(30o-θθ) - cos(30o+θθ)]=VL IL
■ The wattmeters reading can be given as: W1=
VabIa cos∠∠(VabIa) = VL IL cos(30o+θθ)
θ, which is (1/ √3) times the total three-
sinθ
■ W2= VcbIc cos∠ ∠(VcbIc) = VL IL cos(30o-θ
θ) phase reactive power.
■ The sum of the two wattmeter readings gives ■ Thus QT= √3(W2 -W1 )
the total three-phase power. ■ The power factor angle can be found
■ PT=W1 +W2 =VL IL[cos(30o+θ θ)+ cos(30o-θθ)] from θ = tan -1 (QT / PT )
■ PT=√√3VL IL cosθθ
■ θ= tan {[√
-1 √3(W2 -W1)]/[(W2 +W1 )]}