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Analysis of Balanced Three Phase Circuits – Phase Sequence- Star and Delta Connection - Relation
between Line and Phase Voltages and Currents in Balanced Systems - Measurement of Active and
Reactive Power in Balanced and Unbalanced Three Phase Systems
INTRODUCTION:
Almost all electric power generation and most of the power transmission in the world is in the
form of three-phase AC circuits. A three-phase AC system consists of three-phase generators,
transmission lines, and loads.
Power delivered to a three-phase load is constant at all time, instead of pulsing as it does in a
single-phase system.
Three phase voltage is obtained by connecting three single phase voltages which are equal in
magnitude and displaced by 120 degrees.
The negative (ground) ends of the three single-phase generators and loads together, so they share
the common return line (neutral).
Van Vp 00
Vbn Vp 1200
Vcn Vp 2400 Vp 1200
The other possibility is called negative (acb) sequence and expressed mathematically as:
Van Vp 00
Vcn Vp 1200
Vbn Vp 2400 Vp 1200
Like the generator connections, a three-phase load can be either wye-connected or delta-connected,
depending on the end application as shown in Fig. 7.
(a) Wye (Y) Connection (b) Delta ( ) Connection
Fig. 4, Three-phase connection (Load side)
Any balanced three-phase system can be reduced to an equivalent Y-Y system. Therefore,
analysis of this system should be regarded as the key to solving all balanced three-phase systems.
Consider the 3-phase, Y-Y circuit shown in Fig. 5. Assuming the positive sequence, the phase
voltages (or line-to-neutral voltages) are:
Van Vp 00 , Vbn Vp 1200 , Vcn Vp 2400 Vp 1200
Fig. 6, Y-Y three-phase circuit
The line-to-line voltages or simply line voltages Vab, Vbc, and Vca are related to the phase
voltages. mathematically as:
Vab Van Vnb Van Vbn Vp 00 Vp 1200 3Vp 300
The relation between phase and line voltages can be proved Vectorially as in Fig. 7.
From phasor diagram shown above, it is clear that the magnitude of the line voltages VL is 3 times
the magnitude of the phase voltages Vp, or VL 3Vp
So that In (Ia Ib Ic ) 0
So that the voltage VnN is zero. Therefore, neutral line can thus be removed without affecting the
system.
The line current is the current in each line, and the phase current is the current in each phase of
the source or load. In Y-Y, the line current is the same as the phase current.
I L I Ph
An alternative way of analysing a balanced Y-Y system is to consider the “per phase” equivalent
circuit given in Fig. 10. We look at one phase, say phase a, and analyze the single-phase equivalent
circuit. Then applying KVL for this circuit to get the same values for the line currents.
The balanced Y-delta system is shown in Fig. 9, where the source is Y-connected and the load is
-connected. There is no neutral connection from source to load for this case. Assuming the
positive sequence, the phase voltages are again:
Van Vp 00 , Vbn Vp 1200 , Vcn Vp 2400 Vp 1200
Fig. 9. Y- three-phase circuit
The line voltages are given as:
Vab 3Vp 300 , Vbc 3Vp 900 , Vca 3Vp 2100
The line voltages are equal to the voltages across the load impedances for this system configuration.
From these voltages, we can obtain the phase currents as:
V V V
Iab ab , Ibc bc , Ica ca
Z Z Z
These currents have the same magnitude but are out of phase with each other by 1200.
The line currents are obtained from the phase currents by applying KCL at nodes A, B, and C. Thus,
Ia Iab Ica , I b I bc Iab, Ic Ica Ibc
The relation between phase and line currents for -connected circuits is shown in Fig.10.
Fig. 10, Relation between phase and line currents in -connected circuits
From phasor diagram above, the magnitude IL of the line current is 3 times the magnitude Iph of the
phase current, or I L 3I Ph
I ph Ia Ib Ic and I Ph Iab I bc Ica
Also, the line currents lag the corresponding phase currents by 300.
The line voltages are the same as the phase voltages. From Fig. 16, assuming there is no line
impedances, the phase voltages of the delta connected source are equal to the voltages across the
impedances; that is,
Vab VAB , Vbc VBC , Vca VCA
Hence, the phase currents are
V V V V V V
IAB AB ab , ICB BC bc , ICA CA ca
Z Z Z Z Z Z
The line currents Ia, Ib and Ic are greater than the phase current by 3 and lag the corresponding phase
current by 300.
At source side, the line voltages, given above, are also same as the phase voltages.
At load side the phase voltage VAN is less than the line voltage VAB by 3 and lags it by 300,
therefore, the line current (which equals the phase current) Ia can be obtained as:
VAB
300
Ia 3
ZY
Obtain the other line currents Ib and Ic using the positive phase sequence,
I b Ia 1200 , Ic Ia 1200
Thus the total instantaneous power in a balanced three-phase system is constant. It does not change
with time as the instantaneous power of each phase does. This result is true whether the load is Y- or
-connected.
An unbalanced system is due to unbalanced voltage sources or an unbalanced load. To simplify analysis,
we will assume balanced source voltages, but an unbalanced load.
There are two types of unbalanced systems. Those are
1. Three phase four wire system (star connection with neutral)
2. Three phase three wire systems (Delta or Star connection with Neutral)
Since the load is unbalanced, ZA, ZB, and ZC are not equal. The line currents are determined directly by
Ohm‟s law as
VAN VBN VCN
Ia , Ib , Ic
ZA ZB ZC
This set of unbalanced line currents produces current in the neutral line, which is not zero as in a
balanced system, and can be calculated as:
In (Ia Ib Ic ) 0
In a three-wire system where the neutral line is absent, we can still find the line currents Ia, Ib, and
Ic using mesh analysis.
Star to Delta conversion method is used to solve 3Φ, 3 wire unbalanced system. Let us
consider the 3 Φ star connection without neutral as shown below. Let the phase sequence be R, Y
& B.
Let ZR, ZY, ZB are the impedances of R, Y, B phases. IR, IY, IB are currents through R, Y,
B phases respectively.
VRN, VBN, VYN be the phase voltages (VPH) and VRY, VYB, VBR be the line voltages (VL).
VRN ≠ VBN ≠VYN ≠ VPH
Fig. 14, Unbalanced, 3-wire, Y-connected load Fig. 15, Unbalanced, 3-wire, -connected load
ZRY, ZRB and ZYB are the branch impedances and are determined as
ZRY = ZR+ZY + (ZR ZY)/ ZB
ZRB = ZR+ZB + (ZR ZB)/ ZY
ZYB = ZY+ZB + (ZY ZB)/ ZR
Brach Currents:
IRY, IYB, IBR are the Brach currents and are determined as IRY =VRY 0° / ZRY
IYB =VYB∠-120° / ZRY
Line currents:
Fig. 16 Three wattmeter method – Star Fig. 17 Three wattmeter method- Delta
The total power in load is given by algebraic sum of the readings .Let W1,W2, W3 are the
readings of wattmeters then the total power supplied to 3 –Φ load is P= W1+W2+ W3 .
Phasor diagram
Current through wattmeter 1 is IR and voltage across pressure coil of wattmeter 1 is VRN now
reading in wattmeter 1 is
W1= VRN IR cosΦ1 , W1= VPH IPH cosΦ1
Current through wattmeter 2 is IY and voltage across pressure coil of wattmeter 1 is VYN now
reading in wattmeter 2 is
W2= VYN Iy cosΦ2, W2= VPH IPH cosΦ2
Current through wattmeter 3 is IB and voltage across pressure coil of wattmeter 3 is VBN now
reading in wattmeter 3 is
W3= VYN Iy cosΦ3, W3= VPH IPH cosΦ3
Total power measured by three wattmeters is P= W1+W2+ W3
P= VPH IPH cosΦ1+ VPH IPH cosΦ2+ VPH IPH cosΦ3
The total power absorbed by the 3Φ balanced load is the sum of powers obtained by
wattmeters W1 and W2. When load is assumed as inductive load, the vector diagram
for such a balanced star connected load is shown below
Vector Diagram
Let VRN, VBN, VYN are the phase voltages and IR, IY, IB are currents (phase or line).
Since load is inductive, the current lags their respective phase voltages by phase angle
(Φ).
Let the current through wattmeter w1 = IR
Potential difference across pressure coil of wattmeter w1= VRB =VRN-VBN From
vector diagram phase angle between VRB and IR is 30-Φ.
∴ Reading of wattmeter W1= VRB IR cos(30-Φ)
=VY-VB
= VL IL cos(30+ Φ) (2)
= VL IL cos(30-Φ)+ VL IL cos(30+Φ)
Hence the sum of two wattmeters gives the total power absorbed by the 3Φ load.
Similarly to find Power factor
w1 -w2 = VL IL sin Φ
(4)
3(W1 W2 )
We know that tan
W1 W2
Power triangle
In balanced condition, from above relations and power triangle the reactive power is
given by √3 times the difference of readings of wattmeters used.
Then W1= W2= VL IL Cos 30° The readings of both wattmeters are same.
The single wattmeter method is used to measure the power of 3-Φ balanced
system. Let ZR, ZY, ZB are the impedances of R, Y, B phases. IR, IY, IB are currents
through R, Y, B phases respectively.
VRN, VBN, VYN be the phase voltages (VPH) and VRY, VYB, VBR be the line voltages
(VL).
From above diagram, the current through wattmeter is IR, voltage across pressure coil
is VRN. Now wattmeter reading is
W = VRN IR cosΦ =VPH IPH cos Φ
VRN=VBN=VYN=VPH
VRY=VYB=VBR=VLINE