Lecture (8)

Balanced Three-Phase Circuits

CHAPTER CONTENTS

■ Balanced Three-Phase Voltages

■ Three-Phase Voltage Sources
■ Analysis of the Wye-Wye Circuit
■ Analysis of the Wye-Delta Circuit
■ Analysis of the Delta-Delta Circuit
■ Analysis of the delta-Way Circuit
■ Power Calculations in Balanced Three-Phase Circuits
■ Measuring Average Power in Three-Phase Circuits
 Single Phase, Three phase Circuits
a) Single phase systems two-wire type

A single-phase ac power system

consists of a generator connected
through a pair of wires (a transmission
line) to a load.

b) Single phase systems three-wire type.

a single-phase three wire system, shown

in Fig. (b). It contains two identical
sources (equal magnitude and the same
phase) that are connected to two loads
by two outer wires and the neutral.
 Single Phase, Three phase Circuits
Poly-phase Circuits
Circuits or systems in which the ac sources operate at the same frequency but
different phases.
(a) Two-phase three-wire system.
a two-phase system is produced by a
generator consisting of two coils placed
perpendicular to each other so that the
voltage generated by one lags the other
by 90o

(b) Three-phase four-wire system.

a three-phase system is produced by a
generator consisting of three sources
having the same amplitude and
frequency but out of phase with each
other by 120o

12/6/2023 4
 Three-Phase Circuits
In general, three-phase systems are preferred over single-
phase systems for the transmission of power for many
reasons.
1. The instantaneous power in a three-phase system
can be constant.
2. In general, most larger motors are three phase
because they are essentially self-starting and do not
require a special design or additional starting
circuitry..
3. for the same amount of power, the three-phase
system is more economical than the single phase.
The amount of wire required for a three-phase
system is less than that required for an equivalent
single-phase system.
12/6/2023 5
 Three-Phase Voltage Sources

12/6/2023 6
 Three-Phase Voltage Sources

Since each coil can be regarded

as a single-phase generator by
itself, the three-phase generator
can supply power to both single-
phase and three-phase loads.

v an = Vm cos(t )
v bn = Vm cos(t − 120)
v cn = Vm cos(t − 240)
 Two Common Methods of Connection
Line voltages Vab, Vbc, Vcaout of phase with each other by 120o

phase voltage

(a) Y-connected sources (b) -connected sources

Line currents = phase currents Line voltages = phase voltages

12/6/2023 8
Balanced Three-Phase Voltages
■ Three sinusoidal voltages
■ Identical amplitudes and frequencies
■ Out of phase 120° with each other by exactly

v an = V p cos(t ) Van = V p 0

v bn = V p cos(t − 120) Vbn = V p  − 120
v cn = V p cos(t − 240) Vcn = V p  − 240
 phase sequence
The phase sequence is the time order in which the voltages pass through
their respective maximum values.

Van = V p 0 Van = V p 0

Vbn = V p  − 120 Vbn = V p  + 120
Vcn = V p  − 240 Vcn = V p  + 240

a) abc or positive sequence b) acb or negative sequence

 Phase and Line Voltages
Vab = Va − Vb
= V p 0 − V p − 120
= V p − V p ( −0.5 − j 0.866)
= 3V p 30
Similarly
Vbc = 3V p  − 90 The abc sequence.

Vca = 3V p  − 210
1. The magnitude of the line-to-line voltage is
3 times the magnitude of the line-to-neutral
voltage.
2. The line-to-line voltages form a balanced three-
phase set of voltages.
3. The set of line-to-line voltages leads the set of
line-to-neutral voltages by 30°.
 Phase and Line Voltages

v AB = 3V p  − 30
v CA = 3V p  − 150
v BC = 3V p  − 270

1. The magnitude of the line-to-line voltage is

3 times the magnitude of the line-to-neutral
voltage.
2. The line-to-line voltages form a balanced three-
phase set of voltages.
3. The set of line-to-line voltages lags the set of line- acb sequence.
to-neutral voltages by 30°.

12/6/2023 12
 Example 1
Determine the phase sequence of the set of voltages.
v an = 200 cos(t + 10)
v bn = 200 cos(t − 230)
v cn = 200 cos(t − 110)
What are the line voltages
VAB, VCA, VBC? Van = 20010 V
The voltages can be expressed in Vbn = 200 − 230 V
phasor form as Vcn = 200 − 110 V

We notice that Vcn lags Van by 120° and Vbn in turn lags Vcn by
120°.
Hence, the sequence is acb.
12/6/2023 13
 A basic three-phase circuit

• A balanced load is one in which the phase

impedances are equal in magnitude and in
phase
 Balanced Three phase Loads

a) Wye-connected load b) Delta-connected load

• A balanced load is one in which the phase impedances

are equal in magnitude and in phase

12/6/2023 15
Balanced Impedance Conversion:
Conversion of Delta circuit to Wye or Wye to Delta.
ZY = Z1 = Z 2 = Z 3 1
Z = 3ZY ZY = Z 
Z  = Z a = Zb = Zc 3

■ Three-phase sources and loads can be either Y-

connected or Δ-connected
 Balance Three-Phase Connection
Y-connected source and a balanced Y-connected load (Y-Y)

impedance of the line

internal impedance
impedance of the load
of generator impedance of
neutral line

12/6/2023 17
 Balanced Y-Y Connection

Assume abc phase sequence

line currents the same as phase currents
(Ia, Ib and Ic )

Neutral Line current In add up to

zero. Neutral current is zero:
In= -(Ia+ Ib+ Ic)= 0

➢ Magnitude of line voltages is √3 times the magnitude of phase voltages. VL= √3 Vp

Van = V p 0, Vbn = V p  − 120, Vcn = V p  + 120

Vab = Van + Vnb = Van − Vbn = 3Vp 30
Vbc = Vbn − Vcn = 3V p  − 90
Vca = Vcn − Van = Van + Vbn = 3Vp  − 210
Single Phase Equivalent of Balanced Y-Y Connection

➢ Balanced three phase circuits can be analyzed on “per phase “ basis..

➢ We look at one phase, say phase a and analyze the single phase equivalent
circuit.
➢ Because the circuıit is balanced, we can easily obtain other phase values
using their phase relationships.

Van
Ia =
ZY

single phase equivalent circuit.

12/6/2023 19
 Example

Calculate the line currents in

the three-wire Y-Y system
 Example

A balanced three-phase Y-connected generator with

positive sequence has an impedance of 0.2 + j0.5 Ω/ph and
an internal voltage of 120 V/ph The generator feeds a
balanced three-phase Y-connected load having an
impedance of 39 + j28 Ω/ph. The impedance of the line
connecting the generator to the load is 0.8 + j1.5Ω/ph. The
a-phase internal voltage of the generator is specified as the
reference phasor.
a) Construct the a-phase equivalent circuit of the system.
b) Calculate the three line currents IaA, IbB, and IcC.
 Example

c) Calculate the three phase voltages at the load, VAN,

VBN, and VCN.
d) Calculate the line voltages VAB, VBC, and VCA at the
terminals of the load.
e) Calculate the phase voltages at the terminals of the
generator, Van, Vbn, and Vcn.
f) Calculate the line voltages Vab, Vbc, and Vca and at
the terminals of the generator.
g) Repeat (a)–(f) for a negative phase sequence.
 Example

The single-phase equivalent circuit

Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
 Balanced ∆-∆ Connection
➢ Both the source and load are Delta connected and balanced.

V V V 𝑉𝐴𝐵 = 𝑉𝑎𝑏
I AB = AB , I BC = BC , I CA = CA
Z Z Z 𝑉𝐵𝐶 = 𝑉𝑏𝑐
I a = I AB − ICA , Ib = I BC − I AB , I c = ICA − I BC 𝑉𝐶𝐴 = 𝑉𝑐𝑎
29
 Balanced ∆ -∆ Connection
■ When a load (or source) is connected in a delta, the current in
each leg of the delta is the phase current, and the voltage across
each leg is the phase voltage.

▪ To demonstrate the relationship

between the phase currents and
line currents, we assume a positive
phase sequence and let I
represent the magnitude of the
phase current
 Balanced ∆ -∆ Connection
The line currents are obtained from the phase currents by applying
KCL at nodes A, B, and C
 Balanced ∆-∆ Connection
Phasor diagrams showing the relationship between line currents
and phase currents in a ∆-connected load. (a) The positive
sequence. (b) The negative sequence.

the line currents lag the the line currents lead the correspondin
corresponding phase currents by phase currents by 30o in negative
30o in positive sequence sequence
 Balanced ∆-∆ Connection

Example
A balanced Δ-connected load having an impedance 20-j15  is connected
to a Δ-connected positive-sequence generator having (Vab = 3300 V ).
Calculate the phase currents of the load and the line currents.

Solution

The phase currents

I AB = 13.236.87 A; I BC = 13.2 − 81.13 A; I AB = 13.2156.87 A

The line currents

I a = 22.866.87 A; I b = 22.86 − 113.13 A; I c = 22.86126.87 A

Summary

■ When analyzing balanced three-phase circuits, it is

preferred to transform any connections into Y
connections, so that the overall circuit is of the Y-Y
configuration.
■ A single-phase equivalent circuit is used to calculate
the line current and the phase voltage in one phase of
the Y-Y structure. The a-phase is normally chosen for
this purpose.
Summary
■ Once we know the line current and phase voltage in
the a-phase equivalent circuit, we can take analytical
shortcuts to find any current or voltage in a balanced
three phase circuit, based on the following facts:
– The b- and c-phase currents and voltages are
identical to the a-phase current and voltage
except for a 120° shift in phase. In a positive-
sequence circuit, the b-phase quantity lags the a-
phase quantity by 120°, and the c-phase quantity
leads the a-phase quantity by 120°. For a negative
sequence circuit, phases b and c are interchanged
with respect to phase a.
Summary
– The set of line voltages is out of phase with the set of
phase voltages by ±30°. The plus or minus sign
corresponds to positive and negative sequence,
respectively.
– In a Y-Y circuit the magnitude of a line voltage is
3 times the magnitude of a phase voltage.
– The set of line currents is out of phase with the set of
phase currents in ∆-connected sources and loads
by ±30𝑜 The minus or plus sign corresponds to
positive and negative sequence, respectively.
– The magnitude of a line current is 3 times the
magnitude of a phase current in a ∆-connected source
or load.