Chapter 11

Balanced Three-Phase
Circuits
11.1-2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6

Three-Phase Systems
Analysis of the Y-Y Circuit
Analysis of the Y- Circuit
Power Calculations in Balanced
Three-Phase Circuits
Measuring Average Power in ThreePhase Circuits

Overview

An electric power distribution system looks like:

where the power transmission uses balanced

three-phase configuration.
2

Why three-phase?

Three-phase generators can be driven by

constant force or torque (to be discussed).

Industrial applications, such as high-power

motors, welding equipments, have constant
power output if they are three-phase systems
(to be discussed).

Key points

What is a three-phase circuit (source, line, load)?

Why a balanced three-phase circuit can be

analyzed by an equivalent one-phase circuit?

How to get all the unknowns (e.g. line voltage of

the load) by the result of one-phase circuit
analysis?

Why the total instantaneous power of a

balanced three-phase circuit is a constant?
4

Section 11.1, 11.2

Three-Phase Systems
1.
2.

Three-phase sources
Three-phase systems

One-phase voltage sources

One-phase ac generator: static magnets, one

rotating coil, single output voltage v(t)=Vmcost.

(www.ac-motors.us)
6

Three-phase voltage sources

Three static coils,

rotating magnets,
three output voltages
va(t), vb(t), vc(t).

Ideal Y- and -connected voltage sources

Neutral

Real Y- and -connected voltage sources

Internal impedance of a generator is usually

inductive (due to the use of coils).

Balanced three-phase voltages

Three sinusoidal voltages of the same

amplitude, frequency, but differing by 120
phase difference with one another.

There are two possible sequences:

abc (positive) sequence: vb(t) lags va(t) by 120.
acb (negative) sequence: vb(t) leads va(t) by
120.

1.
2.

10

abc sequence

vb(t) lags va(t) by 120 or T/3.

Va Vm0 , Vb Vm 120 , Vc Vm 120.

11

Three-phase systems

(Y or )

(Y or )

Source-load can be connected in four

configurations: Y-Y, Y-, -Y, -

Its sufficient to analyze Y-Y, while the others

can be treated by -Y and Y- transformations.
12

Section 11.3
Analysis of the Y-Y Circuit
1.

2.

Equivalent one-phase circuit for

balanced Y-Y circuit
Line currents, phase and line voltages

13

General Y-Y circuit model

Ref.

The only
essential
node.

14

Unknowns to be solved

Line (line-to-line)
voltage: voltage
across any pair of
lines.
Phase (line-toneutral) voltage:
voltage across a
single phase.

Line current

Line voltage

Phase
current

Phase voltage

For Y-connected load, line current equals phase

current.
15

Solution to general three-phase circuit

No matter its balanced or imbalanced threephase circuit, KCL leads to one equation:
I 0 I aA I bB I cC ,
VN
Van VN
Vbn VN
Vcn VN

(1),
Z 0 Z ga Z1a Z A Z gb Z1b Z B Z gc Z1c Z C

Impedance
of neutral
line.

Total
impedance
along line aA.

Total
impedance
along line bB.

Total
impedance
along line cC.

which is sufficient to solve VN (thus the entire

circuit).
16

Solution to balanced three-phase circuit

1.

2.

For balanced three-phase circuits,

{Va'n, Vb'n, Vc'n} have equal magnitude and 120
relative phases;
{Zga = Zgb = Zgc}, {Z1a = Z1b = Z1c}, {ZA = ZB = ZC};
total impedance along any line is the same
Zga + Z1a + ZA = = Z.

VN Van VN Vbn VN Vcn VN

,
Eq. (1) becomes:
Z0
Z
Z
Z

1
Van Vbn Vcn
3
VN
0, VN 0.
Z

Z
Z
0

17

Meaning of the solution

VN = 0 means no voltage difference between

nodes n and N in the presence of Z0. Neutral
line is both short (v = 0) and open (i = 0).

The three-phase circuit can be separated into 3

one-phase circuits (open), while each of them
has a short between nodes n and N.

18

Equivalent one-phase circuit

Phase
voltage
of source

Line current

Phase
voltage
of load

Inn = 0 IaA

Directly giving the line current & phase voltages:

Van VN
I aA
, VAN I aA Z A , Van I aA Z1a Z A .
Z ga Z1a Z A Z

Unknowns of phases b, c can be determined by

the fixed (abc or acb) sequence relation.
19

The 3 line and phase currents in abc sequence

Given I aA Van Z , the other 2 line currents are:

I bB

Vbn

I aA 120 ,
Z

I cC

Vcn

I aA120 ,
Z

which still
follow the abc
sequence
relation.
I cC

I aA
I bB
20

The phase & line voltages of the load in abc seq.

VAN

ZA
ZB
Van
, VBN Vbn
VAN 120 , VCN VAN 120.
Z
Z

VAB VAN VBN

VAN VAN 120

(abc sequence)

Line
voltage

3VAN 30 ,

VBC VAN 120 VAN 120

3VAN 90 ,

Phase
voltage

VCA VAN 120 VAN

3VAN 150.
21

The phase & line voltages of the load in acb seq.

VAB VAN VBN

VAN VAN 120

3VAN 30 ,

(acb
sequence)

VBC VAN 120 VAN 120

Phase
voltage

3VAN 90 ,

VCA VAN 120 VAN

3VAN 150.

Line
voltage

Line voltages are 3 times bigger, leading (abc)

or lagging (acb) the phase voltages by 30.
22

Example 11.1 (1)

Q: What are the line currents, phase and line

voltages of the load and source, respectively?

Zga

Z1a
Phase voltages

ZA

(abc sequence)

Z = Zga + Z1a + ZA = 40 + j30 .

23

Example 11.1 (2)

The 3 line currents (of both load & source) are:

1200
Van

2.4 36.87 A,
I aA
Z ga Z1a Z A 40 j 30

I bB I aA 120 2.4 156.87 A,

I cC I aA 120 2.4 83.13 A.

The 3 phase voltages of the load are:

VAN I aA Z A 2.4 36.87 39 j 28 115.22 1.19 V.

VBN VAN 120 115.22 121.19 V,

VCN VAN 120 115.22 118.81 V.

24

Example 11.1 (3)

The 3 line voltages of the load are:

VAB

330 115.22 1.19

330 VAN

199.58 28.81 V,
VBC VAB 120

199.58 91.19 V,

VCA VAB 120

199.58 148.81 V.
25

Example 11.1 (4)

The 3 phase voltages of the source are:

Van Va n I aA Z ga 120 2.4 36.87 0.2 j 0.5

118 .9 0.32 V,

Vbn Van 120 118 .9 120 .32 V,

Vcn Van 120 118 .9 119 .68 V.

The three line voltages of the source are:

Vab

330 Van

330 118.9 0.32

205.94 29.68 V,

Vbc Vab 120 205.94 90.32 V,

Vca Vab 120 205.94 149.68 V.

26

Section 11.4
Analysis of the Y- Circuit

27

Load in configuration
Line current

Phase current

Line voltage =
Phase voltage

28

-Y transformation for balanced 3-phase load

The impedance of each leg in Y-configuration

(ZY) is one-third of that in -configuration (Z):
ZbZc
Z1
,
Za Zb Zc
ZcZa
Z2
,
Za Zb Zc
Za Zb
Z3
.
Za Zb Zc
ZZ Z
ZY

.
3Z
3
29

Equivalent one-phase circuit

The 1-phase equivalent circuit in Y-Y config.

continues to work if ZA is replaced by Z/3:

Line current

Line-to-neutral
voltage
Phase voltage
Line voltage

Van
,
directly giving the line current: I aA
Z ga Z1a Z A

and line-to-neutral voltage: VAN I aA Z A .

30

The 3 phase currents of the load in abc seq.

Can be solved by 3 node equations once the 3

line currents IaA, IbB, IcC are known:

I aA I AB ICA , IbB I BC I AB , I cC ICA I BC .

Line current

Phase
current

(abc
sequence)
Phase
current

Line current
31

Section 11.5
Power Calculations in
Balanced Three-Phase
Circuits
1.

2.

Complex powers of one-phase and

the entire Y-Load
The total instantaneous power

32

Average power of balanced Y-Load

The average power delivered to ZA is:

PA V I cos ,
V VAN VL 3 ,

(rms value)
I I aA I L ,
V I Z .

The total power delivered to the Y-Load is:

Ptot 3PA 3V I cos 3VL I L cos .

33

Complex power of a balanced Y-Load

The reactive powers of one phase and the

entire Y-Load are:

Q V I sin ,

Qtot 3V I sin 3VL I L sin .

The complex powers of one phase and the

entire Y-Load are:

S P jQ V I e j V I* ;

j
j
Stot 3S 3V I e 3VL I L e .
34

One-phase instantaneous powers

The instantaneous power of load ZA is:

p A (t ) v AN (t )iaA (t ) Vm I m cos t cos(t ).

(abc sequence)

The instantaneous
powers of ZA, ZC are:
pB (t ) vBN (t )ibB (t )

Vm I m cost 120
cost 120 ,

pC (t ) Vm I m cost 120
cost 120 .

35

Total instantaneous power

The instantaneous power of the entire Y-Load

is a constant independent of time!

ptot (t ) p A (t ) pB (t ) pC (t ) 1.5Vm I m cos

1.5 2V

2 I cos 3V I cos .

The torque developed at the shaft of a 3-phase

motor is constant, less vibration in
machinery powered by 3-phase motors.

The torque required to empower a 3-phase

generator is constant, need steady input.
36

Example 11.5 (1)

Q: What are the complex powers provided by

the source and dissipated by the line of a-phase?

The equivalent one-phase circuit in Y-Y

configuration is:
Z1a
S

(rms value)
37

Example 11.5 (2)

The line current of a-phase can be calculated by

the complex power is:

600 *
S V I , 160 j12010
I aA ,
3

I aA 577.35 36.87 A.
*

The a-phase voltage of the source is:

Van VAN I aA Z1a

600

3 577.35 36.87 0.005 j 0.025

357.511.57 V.

38

Example 11.5 (3)

The complex power provided by the source of aphase is:

San Van I*aA 357.511.57 577.3536.87

206.4138.44 kVA.

The complex power dissipated by the line of aphase is:

SaA I aA Z1a 577.35 0.005 j 0.025

2

8.5078.66 kVA.

39

Key points

What is a three-phase circuit (source, line, load)?

Why a balanced three-phase circuit can be

analyzed by an equivalent one-phase circuit?

How to get all the unknowns (e.g. line voltage of

the load) by the result of one-phase circuit
analysis?

Why the total instantaneous power of a

balanced three-phase circuit is a constant?
40