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Causes and Effects of Single-Phasing Induction Motors

W. H. Kersting, Life Fellow, IEEE


Milsoft Utility Solutions

Abstract-- It is well known that a three-phase induction


motor will continue to operate when a disturbance of some
sort causes the voltages supplied to the motor to become
single-phase. The single-phasing can occur as a result of a
fuse blowing or protective device opening on one phase of the
motor. Other possibilities include feeder or step-down
transformer fuses blowing. Even though the motor will
continue to operate in this condition, the motor will heat up
very quickly and it is essential that the motor be removed
from service by the opening of a motor circuit breaker or
some other type of protective device.
This paper will describe three different ways in which an
induction motor will operate in a single-phase condition. For
purposes of this paper single-phase will include any
condition in which the three line-to-line voltage phasors
appear on the same line.

II. THE SYSTEM


Figure 1 shows the system to be studied. The phasor
diagrams of the voltages are sketched for a no-load
condition in order to show the normal phase relationships
on the three parts of the system.
A

VCA -

VAB -

VBC -

Vag -

Vbg -

Vcg -

Vab
Vca

Vbc

VCA

VAB

VBC

Vcg

Vbg

Index TermsInduction motors, single-phasing, losses,


distribution systems, transformer connections

Vab
Vag
Ia

Ib

Ic

Vcn

I. INTRODUCTION
When balanced or slighting unbalanced voltages are applied to
a three-phase induction motor the motor will provide power to the
shaft load. The analysis of an induction motor under a steadystate operation is well documented in the literature. [1], [2] The
motor will operate within its rating when the voltages are
balanced. When the voltages become unbalanced excessive
heating will occur and the motor will have to be de-rated. [3]
A three-phase induction motor operating in the steady-state
will continue to operate when a disturbance on the system causes
the terminal voltages to become single-phase. This condition is
referred to as single-phasing and will result in an operating
condition that produces excess heating in the motor. Such a
condition requires that the motor be provided with protection that
will disconnect it from the system before the motor is
permanently damaged.
The single-phasing can be the result of three possible
disturbances on the system.
Open phase on the substation transformer primary
Open phase on the primary of the distribution step-down
transformer bank
Open phase on the terminals of the motor
This paper will demonstrate how these three conditions lead to
single-phasing of the motor. The paper will go into detail on the
analyze of the most severe of these conditions, the open conductor
at the terminals of the motor.
W. H. Kersting is Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer
Engineering at New Mexico State University. He presently is a consultant
to Milsoft Utility Services, Abilene, TX 79608.
(bjkersting@zianet.com)

Vbn
Van

Van -

I21
V12

Vbn -

I32
V23

Vcn -

V23

I13
+

V31

Vab
V31

V12

+
Isa

Motor
Isb
Isc

Figure 1 The System


In Figure 1 the phasor diagrams demonstrate the
standard 30 degree phase shift as the voltages are stepped
down. Assume that the substation transformer voltage
rating is 69,000 Delta 12,470 Wye and the distribution
transformer bank voltage rating is 12,470 Wye 480 Delta.
The resulting voltages under no-load will be:
Substation primary:
V AB 69, 000/ 0
Vag 7, 200/ 60
Vab 12, 470/ 30
V12 480/ 60
Assuming balanced conditions, the remaining voltages
would have the normal 120 degree phase shifts. The

V12 240/ 0

analysis of the motor for all loading conditions can follow


the method described in Reference [2].
The opening of a fuse on the primary side of the
substation transformer is shown in Figure 2. Again the
voltage phasors are displayed in this figure.
A

C
x

VxA -

VAB -

VBx -

VxA

Vag -

Vbg -

Vcg -

VBx

+
-

VAB

Vab
Vca

Vbc

Vag
Vbg

Vbc

Ib

Ia

I21
V12

Notice that the voltages applied to the motor have no phase


shift between them. Therefore, the motor can not start
under this condition but if it has already been running, then
it will continue to run.
The opening of a fuse on the primary of the distribution
step-down transformer is shown in Figure 3. The voltage
phasors are displayed in this figure.

Vcg

Vca

Vab

Van

Vbn
Van -

V31 240/ 0

Ic

V23 480/180

Vbn -

I32
V23

Vcn -

V23

V31

VCA -

VAB -

VBC -

Vag -

Vbg -

Vcg -

+
-

VAB

Vab
Vca

VCA

Vbc

VBC

V12

I13
+

Vcn

Vcg

Vbg
Vab

V31

Vbc

+
Isa

Ib

Vag

Ic

Motor

Van

Isb
Isc

Figure 2 Open High Voltage Phase

Van -

I21
V12

Vbn -

I32
V23

Vcn

Vbn

Vcn -

V12

V31

V23

With the open phase on the high voltage terminals, the


voltages on the various windings, as shown in the phasor
diagrams are:
Substation Primary:
VAB 69, 000/ 0

I13
+

V31

+
Isa

Motor
Isb
Isc

VxA 34,500/180
VBx 34,500/180
Feeder Primary:
Vag 3, 600/ 0
Vbg 7, 200/180
Vcg 3, 600/ 0
Vab 10,800/ 0
Vbc 10,800/180
Vca 0
Van 3, 600/ 0
Vbn 7, 200/180
Vcn 3, 600/ 0
Motor Terminals:

Figure 3 Open Phase on Step-Down Transformer


For this condition the line-to-line and line-to-ground
voltages out of the substation are those of the original
steady-state condition. Because of the open (shown here
for phase-a), the voltage phasors for the step-down
transformer are:
Step-down primary:
Van 0
Vbn 6, 235/ 150
Vcn 6, 235/ 30
Motor terminals:
V12 0
V23 415.7/ 150
V31 415.7/ 30

Rs

As in the previous case, the motor will not start with


these applied voltages but will continue to run if the
opening occurs during steady-state operating conditions.
Both the open phase on the substation transformer and
the open phase on the step-down transformer can be
analyzed using the method of Reference [2].

+
V ca V
_ ab
b
+
V bc
_
+ c

Vaa
Is a

Vin

Vs bn _

Vs bc
_

Is

+
Vs
an
_
_
Vs cn
+

Figure 4- Open Phase-a Serving an Induction Motor


In Figure 4 the following definition of terms are:
V12, V23, V31 = system line-to-line voltages
Vsab, Vsbc, Vsca = operating line-to-line voltages at the
motor terminals
Vsan, Vsbn, Vscn = stator line-to-neutral voltages
Isa, Isb, Isc = line currents
For this operating condition the line currents must satisfy:
Isa 0

(1)
Isc Isb
The symmetrical component sequence currents therefore
are:
1 1
Is0
Is 1 1 a
1
3
2
Is2
1 a

1 0

a 2 Isb

a Isb

a a 2 Is
b

a a Isb

jXr

jXm

Rr

Im 1

Ir 1

RL 1

Vs 2

Is

jXm

Ir

Im 2
jXr

jXs

RL 2

Rr

Figure 5 Sequence Network Connection


In Figure 5 note that the input voltage is given by:
Vin Vs1 Vs2

+
Vs ab
_

Is b

Is

Rs

Figure 4 illustrates the open phase condition. In this


figure and in the model development it is assumed that
phase-a has been opened [1].
+

+
Vs1

III. OPEN-PHASE MODEL

jXs

j 3 Isa

j 3 Isa

(2)
It is important to recognize in Equation 2 that:
Is2 Is1
(3)
In order to satisfy Equation 3, the positive and negative
sequence networks for the induction motor must be
connected as shown in Figure 5.

(4)

Substitute the expansion of the positive and negative


sequence voltages in terms of the phase line-to-neutral
voltages:
1
Vs1 Vsan a Vs
bn a 2 Vs
cn
3
1
Vs2 Vsan a 2 Vs
bn a Vs
cn
3
1
Vin Vsan Vsan a a 2 Vs
bn a 2 a Vs
bn
3
1
3
Vin j 3 Vs
bn j 3 Vs
cn
j
cn
Vsbn Vs
3
3
Vs
Vin j bc
(5)
3
The result of Equation 5 is very important. Recognize
that the voltage input to the connection of the two sequence
networks is a function of the actual line-to-line terminal
voltage Vsbc . Since the motor is connected to a three-wire
delta line, it is good that the needed voltage is a known
line-to-line voltage.

IV. CIRCUIT ANALYSIS


The analysis of the circuit of Figure 5 is best accomplished
by first computing the equivalent positive and negative
sequence impedances at the terminals of the networks. In
order to do this, a value of slip must be assumed.
Assume the positive sequence slip: s1
Then the negative sequence slip is given by:
s2 2 s1
The load resistances of the two networks are:

(6)

RL1

1 s1
Rr
s1

Vs0 0

(7)
1 s2
1 s1
RL2
Rr
Rr
s2
2 s1
Note in Equation 7 that the negative sequence load
resistance will be negative since the positive sequence slip
is always a value of one or less. Typical positive sequence
slip values for a motor operating near its rating will range
from 0.02 to 0.04.
The general equation for the input equivalent
impedance at the terminals of the networks is given by:
Zr RLi
Zeqi Zsi
jXm Zr RLi
where:

(8)

The stator sequence currents are then:

Is2 Is1

(9)

Because the motor is connected to a three-wire delta line,


the zero sequence stator current must be zero.

(10)

(11)

Motor Terminal Voltages


The sequence line-to-neutral stator voltages are:

VLNsabc A Vs012

(14)

The line-to-line stator voltages are:

(15)

It needs to be pointed out that the stator line-to-line


voltages will not be the same as the secondary line-to-line
voltages. Because of this a voltage will appear across the
switch (fuse) and is given by:
Vaa Vab Vsab

(16)

Pconvi 3 Iri

RLi

(17)

The total converted power is:


Pconvtotal Pconv1 Pconv2

Referring to Figure 2, the sequence rotor currents are


determined by:
jXm
Iri Isi
jXm Zr RLi

Or:

Recall that the negative sequence load resistance is a


negative number so that the converted negative sequence
power will be negative which adds to the effective rotor
power loss.

In general form Equation 11 is written as:


Isabc A Is012

Vsan
Vs0
Vs A Vs

bn
1
Vscn
Vs2

Converted Power
The total converted sequence powers are given by:

The stator input line currents are computed by:


1 Is
0

a Is1

a 2 Is2

i 1, 2
The equivalent line-to-neutral stator terminal voltages are:

VLLsabc D VLNsabc

Is0 0

1 1
Isa
Is 1 a 2

Isc
1 a

(13)

Vsab
1 1 0 Vs an
Vs 0 1 1 Vs
bc
bn


Vsca
1 0 1 Vs cn

i = 1 for positive sequence


i = 2 for negative sequence

Vin
Is1
Zeq1 Zeq2

Vsi Zeqi Isi

(12)

(18)

Stator and Rotor Power Losses


The total stator and rotor power losses are:

Ilossrotor 3 Ir1

Ilossstator 3 Is1

Ir2

Is2

Rr
Rs

(19)

Total complex stator power input:


c

Ssinput i a VLNsi Isi*

(20)

V. EXAMPLE
To illustrate the effects of the various single-phasing
conditions, the following induction motor will be analyzed:
150 kVA, 4-pole, Wye connected, 480 volt
Protation _ loss 3250 watts
Z stator 0.0336 j 0.08 per-unit
Z rotor 0.0394 j 0.08 per-unit
Z m 0 j 2.1 per-unit
The motor will be analyzed using a slip of 0.0365 for
the following operating conditions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Balanced three-phase terminal voltages


Open phase-C on the substation transformer
Open phase-a on the step-down transformer
Open phase-a on the motor terminals

The motor impedances are converted to ohms using the


kVA and voltage ratings of the motor as the bases. For a
the specified slip, the sequence input motor impedances
are:
ZM1 1.2872 j 0.8531
ZM 2 0.0802 j 0.2415

Table 1 Summary of Analyses


Parameter
Motor LL Voltages
V12
V23
V231
Motor LN Voltages
V1n
V2n
V3n
Stator Currents
Ia
Ib
Ic
Rotor Currents
Ia
Ib
ic
Input Complex Power
kVA
Power Factor
Losses-kW
Stator
Rotor
Total
Converted Power-kW
Shaft HP

Case-1

Case-2

Case-3

Case-4

480/0
480/-120
480/120

240/0
480/-180
240/0

0
415.7/-150
415.7/30

359.4/-1.0
480/-120
438.5/81.8

277.1/-30
277.1/-150
277/90

240/180
240/0

138.6/-150
138.6/-170.7
277.1/30

214.1/-41.8
241.9/-145.7
282.1/82.8

179.5/-63.5
179.5/176.5
179.5/56.5

477.1/11.7
628.6/135.3
539.2/-92.1

462.5/82.5
564.2/-170.7
617.6/-36.5

0
274.1/-158.7
274.1/21.3

154.9/-37.2
154.9/-157.2
154.9/82.8

495.3/10.8
601.8/139.4
485.5/-93.5

447.2/78.2
571.3/-167.6
562.9/-34.0

66.4/48.2
276.3/-144.3
212.0/31.8

149.2
0.834

256.7
0.399

256.7
0.399

131.6
0.781

4.99
4.36
9.35
115.02
149.8

47.15
51.03
98.18
4.25
1.34

47.15
51.03
98.18
4.25
1.34

7.75
7.6
15.35
87.35
117.1

Table 1 summarizes the results of the analyses for the


four operating conditions. Case 1 is the motor operating in
the steady-state with balanced three-phase voltages applied.
Note that the input kVA and shaft horsepower are
approximately equal. A usual approximation is to assume
the two are equal. The total winding losses for this
condition are 9.35 kW.
Case 2 is the analyses of the operating conditions when
phase-C on the substation transformer is opened. As seen
from the Table, this is a very severe condition on the motor.
The shaft output power is greatly reduced (1.34 HP) and
the losses are 10 times greater than Case 1. The increased
losses will result in a great heating of the stator and rotor
windings leading to burn-out if the motor is not
disconnected quickly from the source.
Case 3 occurs when the phase-a fuse on the step-down
ungrounded wye-delta transformer bank blows. It is
interesting to note that there is little if any difference in the
operating conditions compared to Case 2. It is not clear if
this will always be the case or just because of the particular
parameters used in the example.
Case 4 occurs when phase-a at the motor terminals is
open. This is the true single-phasing case. Note that this
operating condition isnt as severe as Cases 1 and 2. While
the additional losses are not significantly greater than Case
1, they are large enough to cause excessive heating of the

windings. Again, the motor must be disconnected from the


system.
It is somewhat surprising that the most severe operating
conditions are the opening of phases either at the substation
transformer or the step-down transformer. In the case of the
open phase on the substation transformer the protective
scheme for the transformer should take the transformer out
of service very quickly. If that protective scheme fails,
many induction motors on the feeder are going to be
subjected to a very severe heating problem that may result
in many motor burn-outs. In the case of the open phase on
the step-down transformer there will normally not be an
overall protective scheme that will disconnect the
transformer bank from service. For this case only the
motors connected to the secondary of the bank will
experience over heating.
The three single-phasing cases demonstrate the
critical need for a protective scheme that will disconnect
the motor during any of these cases. The need for the
protective scheme is also needed when the supply voltages
become unbalanced. [3].
VI. CONCLUSIONS
Three different ways in which an induction motor can
operate in the single-phase condition have been described
and analyzed. For purposes of this paper single-phasing

is assumed whenever the three terminal line-to-line


voltages at the motor terminals lie on a straight line. These
phasors are displayed in Figures 1,2 and 3.
For the cases of the open phases on the substation
transformer or the step-down transformer, the method of
analysis follows that of Reference [2]. The open phase at
the terminals of the motor requires a different method of
analysis and is developed in the paper.
The results of the example problem are summarized in
Table 1. These results illustrate the great increase in
winding losses and the need for a protective scheme that
will disconnect the motor during a single-phase
condition.
1.
2.

3.

References
Wagner, C.F. and Evans, R. D. , Symmetrical
Components, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1933.
Kersting, W. H., Phillips, W. H. Phase frame
analysis of the effects of voltage unbalance on
induction machines, IEEE Transactions on
Industrial Applications, March/April 1997.
Kersting, W. H. , Causes and effects of
unbalanced voltages serving an induction motor,
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications,
January/February 2001.

W. H. Kersting (SM64, F89) was born in Santa Fe, NM.


He received the BSEE degree from New Mexico State
University, Las Cruces, and the MSEE degree from Illinois
Institute of Technology. He joined the faculty at New
Mexico State University in 1962 and served as Professor of
Electrical Engineering and Director of the Electric Utility
Management Program until his retirement in 2002. He is
currently a consultant for Milsoft Utility Solutions. He is
also a partner in WH Power Consultants, Las Cruces, NM.

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