Three Phase Circuits

Star / Delta
Source and Loads
 Single phase Circuit
• A single phase AC system consists of a source connected through a pair of wires
to a load.
• It is called a single phase two wire system
• In India single phase AC is rated for 230V 50Hz system.
• Single phase system is the simplest of the power distribution system.

System involving more than single phase are called as Polyphase systems

Two phase and Three phase systems

Circuits or systems in which the AC sources operate at same frequency but with different phases are known as polyphase
 Advantages of Polyphase(Three phase) systems
• Electric power is generated and distributed in three-phase
• When one phase or two-phase inputs are required, they are tapped from the three
phase system rather than generated independently.
• The instantaneous power in a three-phase system can be constant.
• Uniform power transmission and less vibration of three-phase machines.
• For the same amount of power, the three-phase system is more economical than the
single-phase.
• Amount of wire required for a three-phase system is less than that required for an
equivalent single-phase system
Three phase balanced supply
• Consists of three numbers of voltages that equal in magnitude but out of phase
by 120 ͦ
• They are generated from three phase alternators or AC generators that has the
three sets of windings placed at 120 ͦ from each other cut by a rotating electro
magnet.
• The three phases are named as RYB phases R-Red, Y-Yellow and B-Blue.
Phasor Representation(STAR)
Voltage measured across a winding terminals is called phase voltage
In star connected system phase voltage is the voltage measured
between the any one of the output terminal and neutral

𝑽𝑹𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠𝟎°
𝑽𝒀𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟏𝟐𝟎°
𝑽𝑩𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟐𝟒𝟎° = 𝑽𝑷∠𝟏𝟐𝟎°
This source is said to be balanced when the vectorial summation
of phase voltages is Zero
𝑽𝑹𝑵+ 𝑽𝒀𝑵+ 𝑽𝑩𝑵 = 0 I𝑽𝑹𝑵I = I𝑽𝒀𝑵I = I𝑽𝑩𝑵I

Line Voltages are the voltage measured across two output terminals
VRY , VYB and VBR
Line Voltages will be vectorial sum of two phase voltages in Star Connected System
Phase currents = Line currents
 Phase Sequence The phase sequence is the time order in which the voltages pass through
their respective maximum values.

• RYB is the normal or positive sequence (RYB, YBR and BRY)

• Another possible sequence is RBY sequence that may be possible with the
magnetic rotor of the AC generator rotates in opposite direction.
• RBY sequence is called negative sequence (RBY, BYR and YRB)

𝑽𝑹𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠𝟎°
𝑽𝑩𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟏𝟐𝟎°
𝑽𝒀𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟐𝟒𝟎° = 𝑽𝑷∠𝟏𝟐𝟎°

Phase sequence is important in determining the direction of rotation of three phase motors.
 Delta connected System
Star Connected system is a three phase three/four wire system
Delta system is a three phase three wire system
In Delta system, Phase Voltage = Line Voltage

𝑽𝑹𝒀 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠𝟎°
RYB phase sequence 𝑽𝒀𝑩 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟏𝟐𝟎°
𝑽𝑩𝑹 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟐𝟒𝟎° = 𝑽𝑷∠𝟏𝟐𝟎°
𝑽𝑹𝑩 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠𝟎°
RBY phase sequence 𝑽𝑩𝒀 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟏𝟐𝟎°
𝑽𝒀𝑹 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟐𝟒𝟎° = 𝑽𝑷∠𝟏𝟐𝟎°
Line currents will be vectorial sum of two phase currents in Delta Connected System
 Three Phase Loads
Star connected Load Delta connected Load

Impedances connected in Star or Delta fashion to a three phase source are called Three Phase Loads
Impedances across each phase is equal then it is called a Balanced load
A balanced source supplying a balanced load will have the magnitudes of the line currents Equal

Impedances across each phase varies in magnitude or phase angle then it is called a unbalanced load
Three Phase System Configurations
Three phase sources and three phase loads can be connected in four
different configurations
Four different configurations are due to Star/Delta source supplying Star/Delta Loads

Source Star Source Star Source Delta Source Delta

Load Star Load Delta Load Star Load Delta

 Star-Star System
Any three phase system can be brought down to star-star system by using star-delta transformation.
A three phase source and load will have other impedances source impedance Zs, line impedance Zl and neutral impedance Zn.

𝑍𝑌 = 𝑍𝐿 + 𝑍𝑙 + 𝑍𝑠

𝒁𝑳 ≫ 𝒁𝒍 + 𝒁𝒔
 Star-Star System Phase and Line Voltages
Assuming RYB Phase sequence, the phase voltages of the star connected source with VRN as reference phasor

𝑽𝑹𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠𝟎° 𝑽𝒀𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟏𝟐𝟎° 𝑽𝑩𝑵 = 𝑽𝑷 ∠ − 𝟐𝟒𝟎° = 𝑽𝑷∠𝟏𝟐𝟎°

Line Voltages VRY, VYB and VBR are the vectorial sum of the phase voltages

𝑉𝑅𝑌 = 𝑉𝑅𝑁 + 𝑉𝑁𝑌 = 𝑽𝑹𝑵 − 𝑽𝒀𝑵

VRY

𝑉𝑌𝐵 = 𝑉𝑌𝑁 + 𝑉𝑁𝐵 = 𝑽𝒀𝑵 − 𝑽𝑩𝑵

𝑉𝐵𝑅 = 𝑉𝐵𝑁 + 𝑉𝑁𝑅 = 𝑽𝒃𝑵 − 𝑽𝑹𝑵
Vp = |VRN| = |VYN| = |VBN| VL = |VRY| = |VYB| = |VBR|

The magnitude of the line voltages VL is √3 times the magnitude of the phase voltages VP and leads by an angle of 30 ͦ
Star-Star System Phase and Line currents
To get the phase currents KVL is applied across each phase of source and the load

If impedance ZY = Z∠𝜑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛

𝐼𝑅 = 𝐼𝑅 ∠ − 𝜑

𝐼𝑌 = 𝐼𝑌 ∠ − 120 − 𝜑
𝑉𝑅𝑁 𝑉𝑃 ∠0
𝐼𝑅 = 𝐼𝑅 =
𝑍𝑌 𝑍𝑌 𝐼𝐵 = 𝐼𝐵 ∠120 − 𝜑
𝑉𝑃 ∠ − 120 𝑉𝑃 ∠120 𝑉𝑃
𝐼𝑌 = 𝐼𝐵 = 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝐼𝑅 = 𝐼𝑌 = 𝐼𝐵 =
𝑍𝑌 𝑍𝑌 𝑍𝑌
For balanced system
IR + IY + IB = 0 Neutral current = IN = - (IR + IY + IB )= 0

VnN = ZNIN = 0 In a balanced system, neutral wire is not required

In the Y-Y system, the line current is the same as the phase current.
𝑰𝑳 = 𝑰𝑷
 Problem
A Y-connected balanced three-phase generator with an impedance of 0.4+j0.3Ω per phase is connected to a Y-
connected balanced load with an impedance of 24 + j19Ω per phase. The line joining the generator and the load has an
impedance of 0.6 + j0.7Ω per phase. Assuming a positive sequence for the source voltages and that VRN = 120∟30◦V,
find: (a) the line voltages, (b) the line currents.

𝑃ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑅𝑁 = 120∠30°𝑉 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑉𝑌𝑁 = 120∠30 − 120°𝑉 = 120∠ − 90°𝑉
and 𝑉𝐵𝑁 = 120∠30 + 120°𝑉 = 120∠150°𝑉
0.4+j0.3 The magnitude of the line voltages VL is √3 times the magnitude of the phase voltages VP
24+j19 and leads by an angle of 30 ͦ
𝑉𝑅𝑌 = 3 𝑥120∠30 + 30°𝑉 = 𝟐𝟎𝟕. 𝟖𝟒𝟔∠𝟔𝟎°𝑽
𝑉𝑌𝐵 = 3 𝑥120∠ − 90 + 30°𝑉 = 𝟐𝟎𝟕. 𝟖𝟒𝟔∠ − 𝟔𝟎°𝑽
𝑉𝐵𝑅 = 3 𝑥120∠150 + 30°𝑉 = 𝟐𝟎𝟕. 𝟖𝟒𝟔∠𝟏𝟖𝟎°𝑽

𝑍𝑠 = 0.4 + 𝑗0.3 𝑍𝑙 = 0.6 + 𝑗0.7 𝑍𝐿 = 24 + 𝑗19

𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑍𝑌 = 𝑍𝑠 + 𝑍𝑙 + 𝑍𝐿

0.6+j0.7 𝑍𝑌 = 0.4 + 𝑗0.3 + 0.6 + 𝑗0.7 + 24 + 𝑗19 = 𝟐𝟓 + 𝒋𝟐𝟎Ω
𝑍𝑌 = 32.02∠38.66°Ω
𝑽𝑹𝑵 𝟏𝟐𝟎∠𝟑𝟎° 𝑽𝒀𝑵 𝟏𝟐𝟎∠ − 𝟗𝟎° 𝑽𝒀𝑵 𝟏𝟐𝟎∠𝟏𝟓𝟎°
𝑰𝑹 = = = 𝟑. 𝟕𝟒𝟕∠ − 𝟖. 𝟔𝟔°𝑨 𝑰𝒀 = = = 𝟑. 𝟕𝟒𝟕∠ − 𝟏𝟐𝟖. 𝟔𝟔°𝑨 𝑰𝑩 = = = 𝟑. 𝟕𝟒𝟕∠𝟏𝟏𝟏. 𝟑𝟒°𝑨
𝒁𝒀 𝟑𝟐. 𝟎𝟐∠𝟑𝟖. 𝟔𝟔° 𝒁𝒀 𝟑𝟐. 𝟎𝟐∠𝟑𝟖. 𝟔𝟔° 𝒁𝒀 𝟑𝟐. 𝟎𝟐∠𝟑𝟖. 𝟔𝟔°
 Home Fun
Calculate the line currents in the three-wire Y-Y system

Answers: