POLYPHASE SUPPLIES

Generation of Polyphase Voltage

The application of electrical power is generally in heating, lighting and for motive purposes.
For heating and lighting purpose only single phase ac supply is satisfactory. However in
motive situation like AC motors the single phase system is not very satisfaction. Therefore we
need to have a polyphase supply.
The machine which produces ac voltage and current is called alternator or AC generator.
The alternator which generates single phase voltage is called single phase alternator or single
phase AC generator and that of polyphase voltage is called polyphase alternator or
polyphase AC generator.
The single phase alternator normally have one or single armature winding only. If the number
of armature windings or coils increased then it becomes polyphase alternator and it produces as
many independent voltage waves as the number of windings or phases.
These windings are displaced from one another by equal angles which are determined by the
number of windings. Actually the Word polyphase means poly- many and phases.
A three phase alternator the three independent windings are 120˚ electrical degrees apart.
In transmitting a large amount of power, usually 3 phases supply is used. The advantages of
three phase supply over single phase are;
- The size of a 3 phase machine is less than the size of a single phase machine for the
same output. Output of 3-phase motor is 1.5 times the output of 1-phase motor of
the same size. (It uses less material for a given capacity).
- 3-phase motors are more efficient than the 1-phase motors.
- 3-phase motors induction motors are self starting.
- By applying 3-phase voltage across stationary coils, the rotating magnetic field is
produced.
- It cost less than single phase apparatus.
- Parallel operation of 3 phase alternators is simple.

1
Three Phase Alternator
Three phase alternator contains three coils having three emf induced in them which are similar
in all aspects aspect that they are 120º out of phase which one another. Each voltage wave is
assumed to be sinusoidal and maximum valve of Em.

Y B1

120 Two poles

ْ 3 phase alternator

Y1
B

R1
The alternator has three armature coils named RR1, YY1 and BB1 displaced 120º apart from
one another.
It has been investigated that, the induced emf in conductor Y reaches maximum value 120º late
than maximum Value in conductor R. The maximum induced emf in conductor B would occur
120º later than max value in conductor Y or 240 later than maximum value in conductor R.
EMF
VR VY VB
Em

Vm

30 60 90 120 240 θ=ωt

-Em

eR   sin t
eY   sin t  120
eB   sin t  240

For balanced load 3 phase system the resultant sum of these voltages is zero.
eR  eY  eB  0

2
Proof:
 eR  eY  eB
 M sin t  M sin t  120   sin t  240
  sin t  sin t  120  sin t  240
  sin t  sin t cos120  cost sin 120  sin t cos 240  cost sin 120

  1  3  3 
  sin t     cost 
1
   sin t  sin t     cost   


  2   2   2   2 

 1 1 3  3 
   sin t  sin t  sin t  cost  cost  

 2 2 2  2 

 3  3 
   sin t  sin t  cost  cost  

 2  2 
0
EC
120˚
120˚ ER
120˚

EB

Phase Sequence
Δ Phase sequence means the order at which the three phases meat their peak or maximum
values.
Assuming the alternator is rotating clockwise;
Δ The order in which the emf of phases R, Y and B attain their maximum values are as RYB.
Δ It is called the phase order or phase sequence RYB.
If the rotation is reversed, made anticlockwise the phase order is R B Y
Δ This means that the emf of phase B will now lag behind phase R by 120º instead of 240º.
Δ Normally a three phase system has only 2 possible sequences that are RYB and BYR.

R B Y

3
CONNECTION OF THREE PHASES
If the three armature coils of three phase alternator are not inter connected, then each phase or
circuits would need 2 conductors to make total of 6 conductors.
Δ That would make the system complicated and expensive.
Δ For that reasons the three phases interconnected in two ways.
a) Star or (‫ )ץ‬connection
b) Delta or (∆) mesh connection
Star connection
Δ In this method the three ends of the coils are joined together to produce a point Ν.
Δ Ν is known a star or Neutral point. i.e the three conductors meeting at point N.
If this three phase voltage system applied across a balanced symmetrical load, the neutral wire
will be carrying three equal currents.
- The current are 120º out of phase to each other.
- The neutral wire sometimes can be omitted although in some cases can be used for
lightings load at low voltage.
- The voltage measured between a line and neutral wire or star point is called phase
voltage (Vp).
- The voltage measure btw two lines are called line to line voltage or line voltage (VL).

Ia
IR
VRN

N
IB
IN
VYN
N IY

IY Ib

VBN
Ic

3-Phase Star connection

Voltage and currents in Star-Connection

- The voltages and currents induced in the each winding are called phase voltage and current
respectively. ( VPh and IPh)
- The voltage measured btw two terminals is called line voltage (V L) and the current flowing
in each line is called line current (IL)

4
 VP = Va

Vab

Vc Vb

Vac Vbc Voltage and currents

in Star-Connection

- The line current is lagging phase voltage by θ.

Va

Ia

θ
Ic

Vc Vb
Ib

5
Line voltage
The angle between Va and Vb is reversed 60˚ if Va = Vb = Vc = Vp

Va
b

Va -Vc
-Vb 30˚

Vbc

30˚
Vc Vb

 60 
Vab  2VP  cos 
 2
 60   60 
Vab  Va cos   Vb cos 
 2  2
 60 
 2V p cos 
 2

3
 2V p 
2
Vab  3  Vp

Since Vab  Vbc  Vca  VL

VL  3Vp

Note
 The line voltage are 120˚ appoint
 The line voltages are 30˚ ahead the phase voltage
 The angle btw the line voltage and line current is (φ + 30º)

6
Line Current
For star connection the line current in each line is the same as the phase current

I Ph  I a  I b  I c  I L

I Ph  I L

Therefore the line current = phase current for star connection

Power in 3 phase star connected load

The apparent power for one phase is S

S  V ph  I ph (For one phase only)

The total apparent power for all three phases is;

S  3  V ph  I ph

VL
But for star connection, I L  I ph and Vph 
3
VL
S  3  IL
3

S  3VL I L
The active power P is given by;
P  3VL I L cos
Where  is the angle between voltage and current.
The reactive power Q is given by;
Q  3VL I L sin 
Then in complex form, S = P + jQ

7
DELTA (Δ) or MESH Connection
In this form, the ends of the three phase windings the end of one phase is joined to the finishing
end of another phase and so on.
In other words the windings are joined in series to form a closed mesh. It might look as if this
sort of interconnection results in short circuiting the windings. However, If the system is
balanced, then the sum of voltages round closed mesh is zero and hence no current can flow
around the mesh when the terminals are open.

Line voltage and phase voltage

(Ia – Ic)
L1

Ic Ia
Vab Vca

L2
(Ib – Ia)
Ib
Vbc

L3
(Ic – Ib)

The voltage between any pair of line is equal to the voltage between any pair of terminals.
Let Vab = Vbc = Vca =VL

Line Currents and phase currents

The current in each line is the vector difference of the two phase currents

1   a  b

 2  b   a

3  c  b

If  a   b   c   ph

8
 Vab

Ia Ia -Ib
- Ib

Ic - Ib
-Ic
Ic θ

-Ia Ib
Vca Vbc

Ib - Ia

Voltage and current phasor diagram

 60 
I L  2  I ph  cos 
 2
 2  I ph  cos30

3
 2  I ph 
2
I L  3I ph

Note: In delta connection VL = Vph and I L  3I ph

 The line currents are 120º apart

 The line currents are 30º behind the respective phase currents
 The angle btw the line currents and the corresponding voltage is (30+ φ) with current
lagging

POWER
Power/phase = V ph I ph cos

Total power = 3  V ph I ph cos

VL
= 3  I L cos
3
= 3  VL I L cos

9
If load is star connected and other is delta connected, and both are supplied power form a
system with identical Voltages and currents, then;

S3  S3  S3

 1   1 
VL 2     3VL 2  
 Z   Z 
 Z   3Z 

Example 1
A 3 phase system supplies 25kW at power factor of 0.8, the line voltage being 250V. Calculate
the line and phase current when the load is
a) Star Connected
b) Delta Connected.

Soln.
Data Given P= 25kW, if =0.8, 250V

a) For star connection

For star connection: VL  3  VPh and I ph  I L

P  3  VL I L cos
P
IL 
3VL cos

25  1000
IL 
3  250  0.8
I L  72.2 A
I L  I ph  72.2 A

b) For delta connection

Delta connection: I L  3  I Ph and V ph  VL
P  3  VL I L cos
25  1000
IL 
3  250  0.8
I L  72.2 A
72.2
I Ph   41.6 A
3

10
Example 2
The coils, having a resistance of 10Ω and an inductance of 0.02.H, are supplied by 440V, 50Hz
3phase supply. Calculate the line current and total power absorbed when the loads are
connected.
a) In star
X L  2fL  2  3.14  50  0.02  6.28 Ω

Z ph  R 2  X L  102  6.282  11.8 Ω

2

V ph
I Ph 
Z ph

VL 440
VPh    254.03 Volts
3 3
254.03
I Ph   21.53 A
11.8
I L  I ph  21.53 A

R 10
cos    0.8475
Z 11.8
P  3  VL I L cos  3  440  21.53  0.8475
P  13.905 kW
b) In mesh
VPh  VL  440 V
Vph 440
I Ph    37.29 A
Z ph 11.8
I L  3I ph  3  37.29  64.59 A
P  3  VL I L cos  3  440  64.59  0.8475  41.72 kW

Example 3
Three impedances, each having a resistance of 20Ω and on inductive reactance of 15Ω are
connected in star across a 400V, 3phase supply. Calculate
(i) The line current (9.24A)
(ii) The power factor (0.8lag)
(iii) The total power in Kw (5.12Kw)

11
Exercise
Problem No.1
Three similar coils each having a resistance of 15 Ohms and an inductance of 0.04 Henrys are
connected in star to a three-phase, 50c/s supply, 200 Volts between lines. Calculate the line
current. If they are now connected in mesh, calculate the phase currents and the line currents.
Find also the total power absorbed in each case.

Problem No.2
Show with the aid of phasor diagram that for both star-connected and delta-connected balanced
loads, the total power is given by 3VI cos , where V and I are the line values of voltage and
current respectively and φ is the angle between phase values of voltage and current. A
balanced three phase load consists of three coils, each of resistance 4 and inductance 0.02H.
Determine the total power when the coils are
(a) Star connected
(b) Delta connected to a 400V, three phase 50Hz supply.

Problem No.3
A 415V, 3-phase a.c induction motor has a power output of 12.75kW and operates at a power
factor of 0.77 lagging and with efficiency of 85%. If the motor is delta connected, determine:-
(a) The power input
(b) The line current, and
(c) The phase current

Question No. 4
Three identical coils, each of resistance 10 and inductance 42mH, are connected, (a) in star
and (b) in delta to a 415V, 50Hz, 3-phase supply. Determine the total power dissipated in each
case.

Question No. 5
The inductive loads each of resistance 75Ω and inductance 318.4mH are connected in delta to
a 420V, 50Hz, 3-phase supply, Determine;
(a) The inductive reactance and impedance
(b) The phase current and the line current
(c) The power per phase and the total power consumed by the load
(d) The power factor. Is it lagging power factor or leading power factor? Why?

Question No. 6
Three coils each having resistance of 6Ω and inductance L are connected in
(a) Star and
(b) Delta to a 400V, 50Hz, 3-phases supply. If the line current is 30A, find for each
connection the value of L.

Question No. 7
Three coils are connected in delta to a three phase, three wire, 415, 50Hz supply and take a line
current of 50A at 0.8 p.f. lagging. Calculate the resistance and inductance of coils.

12
If the coils are star connected to the same supply, calculate the line current and the total

Question No. 8
Derive the numerical relationship between the line and phase currents for a balanced three
phase delta connected load.
Three coils are connected in delta to a three phase, three wire, 415, 50Hz supply and take a line
current of 50A at 0.8 p.f. lagging. Calculate the resistance and inductance of coils.
If the coils are star connected to the same supply, calculate the line current and the total power.

Question No. 9
A three phase, 400V star-connected motor has an output of 50 hp with an efficiency of 90%
and a power factor of 0.85. Calculate the line current. Sketch a phasor diagram showing the
voltages and currents.

Question 10
Each phase of a wye-connected in figure below 3 AC generator supplies a 100 A current
at a phase voltage of 240V and a power factor of 0.9 lagging, as shown in Figure
below.

Figure: Three-Phase Wye Generator

Find:
 VL
 PT
 QT
 ST

13
POWER FACTOR IMPROVEMENT
Power factor can be defined as the ratio of working power (kW) to apparent power (kVA):
kW
Pf =  cos . In a linear or sinusoidal system the power factor is referred as the
kVA
cosine.
Power factor measures how effectively electrical power is being used. A high power factor
means that electrical power is being utilized effectively, while a low power factor indicates
poor utilization of electrical power.
As a numerical example, if you had a paper mill that was operating at 100 KW (Working
Power) and the Apparent Power consumed was 125 KVA, you would divide 100 by 125 and
come up with a power factor of 80%. This represents a fairly low Power Factor.

Advantage of high power factor

 reduces system losses
 improve system voltages
 increase system capacity
 can lower transformer requirements
 Reduce power costs.
Disadvantage of low power factor
Low power factor means you're not fully utilizing the electrical power you're paying for.
In the example above, with a Power Factor of 80%, your paper mill would be utilizing only
80% of the energy supplied by the utility. That means only 80% of the incoming current is
being used to produce useful work.

The reactive power flows over the circuit to an electromagnetic device such as motor or
transformer or relay to provide magnetic field required by such devices ie.
(Apparent Power)² = ( Real Power)² + (Magnetizing Power)²
(KVA) ² = (KW) ² + (KVA-r) ²

METHODS OF IMPROVING POWER FACTOR

 The power factor can be improved by either adding kilowatts or reducing KVAR.
 Improving power factor by reducing KVAR requires the use of power factor equipments
that operates at leading power factor such as: -
- Synchronous motors – Supply KVAR to the elected system.
- Static capacitors – Supply current system to the
But the simplest way to improve power factor is to add power factor correction capacitors to
your plant distribution system. Power capacitors act as reactive current generators. By
providing the reactive current, they reduce the total amount of current to your system must
draw from the utility.

14
Can be divided into 2 classifications
 Equipment operates at unity power factor thereby improving the overall power factor of the
system. Equipment operates at unity power factor include Incandescent lamps, Resistance
heater, Capacitor motor unity power factor, Unity power factor syndrome motors.
 Auxiliary equipments are used specifically to supply the magnetizing power or kilovars
needed by the load. Synchronous motors and static capacitors fall under this group.

POWER TRIANGLE
 It shows the relationship between existing between active power P, apparent power S and
reactive power (magnetizing power)
 Apparent power is the vectorial sum active power and reactive power.

Magnetizing power,
Apparent Power

(kVA-r)
cos

Real power (kW)

CALCULATION
 For a different loads the values of kW are in phase so, the can be added arithmetically.
 For a different loads, the value of kVA and kVA-r are not in phase so the can be added
only vectorially/algebraically and not arithmetically.

POWER FACTOR FOR INDICTION MOTOR

 The power factor is a measure of the amount of magnetizing current needed compared
to amount of work the motor performs.
 The power factor is low for lightly loaded motor.
 The line current varies inversely with power factor.
If power factor is reduced, line current increases.
 By increasing power factor reduces line current and in turn reduces voltage drop in
power lines and transformers.

15
MEASUREMENT OF POWER IN THREE-PHASE SYSTEMS
Power can be measured in three-phase systems using the following methods:
One-wattmeter method
This method can be used in both star and delta-connected circuits but only where the loads are
balanced. Figure below shows the connections required to make the power measurement; it is
important to note the way in which the windings of the power meter is connected.

M L
R

V+ V-

Load

Y
One-wattmeter method

Two-wattmeter method
This method can be used for both star and delta-connected circuits and for balanced or
unbalanced loads. Figure below shows the wattmeter connections required for a star connected
system.

16
 W1
M L IR
R

V+ V-

VR
(VR – VB)

VY VB

B (VY – VB)
IB

V+ V-
Y
M L IY
W2
Two-wattmeter method

The total power is calculated from the two readings obtains, thus:
Total Power  P1  P2  Watts
The phase angle  , power factor cos and hence the overall power factor can be calculated
from:
tan   3
P  P21 
P1  P1 
Three-wattmeter method
The method is used to measure power in four-wire three-phase systems using either balanced
or unbalanced loads. The connections required for this method are as shown in the figure
below.

The total power obtained from this method by summing the wattmeter readings, hence:
Total Power  P1  P2  P3  watts

17
 M L
R

V+ V-

Load

V+ V-
B
M L

V+ V-
Y
M L

Three-wattmeter method

18