12 Three-Phase Circuits

Electric Circuits II
Three-Phase Circuits
Dr. Firas Obeidat
1
Table of Contents
1 • Balanced Three-Phase Voltages
2 • Balanced Wye-Wye Connection
3 • Balanced Wye-Delta Connection
4 • Balanced Delta-Delta Connection
5 • Balanced Delta-Wye Connection
6 • Power in a Balanced System
7 • Y-Δ & Δ-Y Conversions
8 • Unbalanced three-phase systems
2
Dr. Firas Obeidat – Philadelphia University
Balanced Three-Phase Voltages
 Three phase voltage sources produce three
voltages which are equal in magnitude but out
of phase by 120o.
 A typical three-phase system consists of three

voltage sources connected to loads by three or
four wires (or transmission lines).
 The voltage sources can be either wye-

connected as in fig (a) or delta-connected as in
fig (b).
3
wye connection
 The voltages Van, Vbn and Vcn are called phase voltages.
 If the voltage sources have the same amplitude and frequency and are out of
phase with each other by 120o the voltages are said to be balanced.
Balanced phase voltages are equal in magnitude and are out of phase with each
other by 120o.
There are two possible combinations

1- abc or positive sequence
Vp is the effective or rms value of the phase voltages
4
wye connection
2- acb or negative sequence
The voltages in the two cases satisfy
The phase sequence is the time order in which the voltages pass through their
respective maximum values.
5
Three-phase load
 A three-phase load can be either wye-connected

as in fig(a) or delta-connected as in fig(b).
 The neutral line in fig(a) may or may not be

there, depending on whether the system is four-
or three-wire.
 A wye- or delta-connected load is said to be

unbalanced if the phase impedances are not
equal in magnitude or phase.
 For a balanced wye-connected load,
 For a balanced delta-connected load,
6
Since both the three-phase source and the three-phase load can be either wye- or
delta-connected, there are four possible connections:
1) Y-Y connection (i.e., Y-connected source with a Y-connected load).

2) Y-Δ connection (i.e., Y-connected source with a Δ -connected load).
3) Δ-Y connection (i.e., Δ -connected source with a Y-connected load).
4) Δ -Δ connection (i.e., Δ -connected source with a Δ -connected load).
Example: Determine the phase sequence of the set of voltages
The voltages can be expressed in phasor form as
Van leads Vcn by 120o and Vcn leads Vbn 120o
Hence, the sequence is acb sequence.

7
Balanced Wye-Wye Connection
A balanced Y-Y system is a three-phase system with a balanced Y-connected
source and a balanced Y-connected load.
For balanced four-wire Y-Y system
Where
ZY: is the total load impedance per phase.
Zs: is the source impedance.
Zl: is the line impedance.
ZL: is the load impedance for each phase.
Zn: is the impedance of the neutral line.
8
Assuming the positive sequence, the phase
voltages (or line to neutral voltages) are
The line-to-line voltages or line voltages Vab, Vbc

and Vca are related to the phase voltages.
• The set of line-to-line voltages leads the set of

line-to-neutral voltages by 30°.
• The relationship between the magnitude of the
line voltage (VL) to the magnitude of the phase
voltage (Vp) is
9
Apply KVL to each phase to get line current
The summation of line currents is equal to zero
In the Y-Y system, the line current is the same

as the phase current.
10
Example: For three-wire Y-Y system Calculate:
the line currents, the phase voltages across the
loads VAN, ABN and VCN, the line voltages VAB, n
ABC and VCA, the voltages VAn, ABn and VCn, the
line voltages Vab, Abc and Vca.
N
𝑉𝑎𝑛
𝐼𝑎 =
𝑍𝑌
𝑍𝑌 = 5 − 𝑗2 + 10 + 𝑗8 = 15 + 𝑗6 = 16.155∠21.8𝑜
110∠0𝑜
𝐼𝑎 = = 6.81∠-21.8o A
16.155∠21.8𝑜
𝐼𝑏 = 𝐼𝑎∠ − 120 = 6.81∠-141.8o A

𝐼𝑏 = 𝐼𝑐∠ − 240 = 6.81∠−261.8o A = 6.81∠98.2o A
𝑉𝐴𝑁 = 10 + 𝑗8 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 12.8∠38.66𝑜 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 87.17∠16.86𝑜
𝑉𝐵𝑁 = 87.17∠ − 103.14𝑜 𝑉𝐶𝑁 = 87.17∠ − 223.14𝑜 = 87.17∠136.86𝑜

11
𝑉𝐴𝐵 = 3∠30𝑜VAN=150.98 ∠46.86𝑜
𝑉𝐵𝐶 =63.46 ∠ − 73.14𝑜

𝑉𝐶𝐴=63.46 ∠ − 193.14𝑜
𝑉𝐴𝑎 = 5 − 𝑗2 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 5.38∠ − 21.8𝑜 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 36.64 ∠ − 43.6𝑜
𝑉𝐵𝑏 = 36.64 ∠ − 163.6𝑜 𝑉𝐶𝑐 = 36.64 ∠ − 283.6𝑜 = 36.64 ∠76.4𝑜
𝑉𝐴𝑛 = 110∠0𝑜 − 𝑉𝐴𝑎 = 110 − 17 + 𝑗25.28 = 93 + 𝑗25.28 = 96.37∠15.21o
𝑉𝐵𝑛 = 96.37∠-104.79o 𝑉𝐶𝑛 = 96.37∠-224.79o
𝑉𝑎𝑏 = 3∠30𝑜𝑉𝑎𝑛 = 190.5∠30o
𝑉𝑏𝑐 = 3∠30𝑜𝑉𝑏𝑛 = 190.5∠-90o
𝑉𝑐𝑎 = 3∠30𝑜𝑉𝑐𝑛 = 190.5∠-210o

12
Balanced Wye-Delta Connection
A balanced Y-Δ system consists of a balanced Y-connected source feeding a
balanced Δ-connected load.
Assuming the positive sequence, the phase

voltages are
The line voltages are
The phase currents are
These currents have the same magnitude but are out of phase with each other by
120o.
The line currents are obtained from the phase currents by applying KCL at nodes
A, B, and C.
13
Showing that the magnitude of the line current is

sqrt(3) times the magnitude of the phase current,
or
Another way of analyzing the circuit is to

transform the Δ-connected load to an equivalent
Y-connected load. Using the Following formula
14
Example: A balanced abc-sequence Y-connected source with Van=100∠10o is
connected to a Δ-connected balanced load 8+j4Ω per phase. Calculate the phase and
line currents.
15
Balanced Delta-Delta Connection
A balanced Δ-Δ system is one in which both the balanced source and balanced
load are Δ-connected.
Assuming a positive sequence, the phase
voltages for a delta-connected source are
Assuming there is no line impedances, the phase

voltages of the delta connected source are equal to
the voltages across the impedances.
The phase currents are
The line currents are obtained from the phase currents by applying KCL at nodes A, B, and C
16
Balanced Delta-Delta Connection
Each line current lags the corresponding phase current by 30o. the magnitude IL
of the line current is sqrt(3) times the magnitude Ip of the phase current.
Example: A balanced Δ-connected load having an impedance 20-j15Ω is connected to

a Δ-connected, positive-sequence generator having Vab=330∠0o. Calculate the phase
currents of the load and the line currents.
For a delta load, the line current always lags the corresponding phase current by 30o and has a
magnitude sqrt(3) times that of the phase current. Hence, the line currents are
17
Balanced Delta-Wye Connection
A balanced Δ-Y system consists of a balanced Δ-connected source feeding a
balanced Y-connected load.
Assuming the abc sequence, the phase voltages
of a delta-connected source are
Apply KVL to loop aANBba
But Ib lags Ia by 120o for the abc sequence
Equating the last two equations gives

18
Equating the last two equations gives
The phase currents are equal to the line currents
The equivalent wye-connected source has

the phase voltages
The equivalent delta-connected load has

the phase voltages
19
Example: A balanced Y-connected load with a phase impedance of 400+j25Ω is
supplied by a balanced, positive sequence Δ-connected source with a line voltage of
210 V. Calculate the phase currents. Use Vab as a reference..
When the Δ-connected source is transformed to a Y-connected source
The line currents are
Which are the same as the phase currents
20
balanced three-phase systems
Summary of phase and line voltages/currents for balanced three-phase systems (abc
sequence is assumed).
21
Power in a Balanced System
For a Y-connected load, the phase voltages are
If ZY=Z∠θ, the phase currents lag their corresponding phase voltages by θ
The total instantaneous power in the load is the sum of the instantaneous powers in
the three phases
Applying the trigonometric identity
22
Instantaneous power equation becomes
The total instantaneous power in a balanced three-phase system is constant; it does not
change with time as the instantaneous power of each phase does. This result is true whether
the load is Y- or Δ-connected.
The average power per phase for either the Δ-connected load or the Y-connected load is p/3
The reactive power per phase is
The apparent power per phase is
23
The complex power per phase is
Where Vp and Ip are the phase voltage and phase current with magnitudes Vp and Ip
respectively. The total average power is the sum of the average powers in the phases:
For a Y-connected load, IL=Ip but VL=sqrt(3)Vp whereas for a Δ-connected load,
IL=sqrt(3)Ip but VL=Vp.
the total reactive power is
the total complex power is
Where Zp=Zp∠θ is the load impedance per phase. (Zp could be ZY or ZΔ)
24
Example: Determine the total average power, reactive
power, and complex power at the source and at the load.
For phase a
𝑉𝑎𝑛
𝐼𝑎 =
𝑍𝑌
𝑍𝑌 = 5 − 𝑗2 + 10 + 𝑗8 = 15 + 𝑗6 = 16.155∠21.8𝑜
110∠0𝑜
𝐼𝑎 = = 6.81∠-21.8o A
16.155∠21.8𝑜
S𝑠 = 3𝑉𝑝 𝐼𝑝 ∗ =3(110∠0o)(6.81 ∠ 21.8o)=2247∠ 21.8o =(2087+j834.6)VA

The real or average power absorbed is 2087 W and the reactive power is 834.6 VAR.
S𝐿 = 3|𝐼𝑝|2Zp=3(6.81)2(10+j8)=3(6.81)2(12.81∠38.66o)=1782∠ 38.66o =(1392+j1113) VA

The real or average power absorbed is 1392 W and the reactive power is 1113 VAR.
S𝑙 = 3|𝐼𝑝|2Zl=3(6.81)2(5-j2)=(695.6-j278.3) VA
25
Example: A three-phase motor can be regarded as a balanced Y-load. A three phase motor draws
5.6 kW when the line voltage is 220 V and the line current is 18.2 A. Determine the power factor
of the motor.
The apparent power is
The real power is
The power factor is
26
Y-Δ & Δ-Y Conversions
Y-Δ Conversions Δ-Y Conversions
A delta or wye circuit is said to be balanced if it has equal impedances in all

three branches
When Δ-Y is balanced
27
Y-Δ & Δ-Y Conversions
Example: Find the current I in the circuit.
The delta network connected to nodes a, b, and c

can be converted to the Y network.
The total impedance at the source terminals is
The current I is
28
Unbalanced three-phase systems
An unbalanced system is due to unbalanced voltage sources or an unbalanced load.
For balanced source voltages, but an unbalanced load.
When the load is unbalanced, ZA, ZB and ZC are not

equal. The line currents are determined by Ohm’s law as
Applying KCL at node N gives the neutral line current as
29
Example: The unbalanced Y-load has balanced voltages of 100 V and the acb sequence.
Calculate the line currents and the neutral current. Take ZA =15 Ω, ZB=10 +j5 Ω, ZC=6+j8 Ω.
30
Example: For the unbalanced circuit, find: (a) the line currents, (b) the total complex power
absorbed by the load, and (c) the total complex power absorbed by the source.
(a) Using mesh analysis to find the required currents. For

mesh 1
(1)
For mesh 2
(2)
Write eq(1) & eq(2) as matrix equation
31
The mesh currents are
The line currents are
(b) Calculate the complex power absorbed by the load
32
The total complex power absorbed by the load is
(c) Calculate the power absorbed by the source
The total complex power absorbed by the three-phase source is
Showing that SL+SS=0
33
34

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Electric Circuits II

Dr. Firas Obeidat

1 • Balanced Three-Phase Voltages

2 • Balanced Wye-Wye Connection

3 • Balanced Wye-Delta Connection

4 • Balanced Delta-Delta Connection

5 • Balanced Delta-Wye Connection

6 • Power in a Balanced System

7 • Y-Δ & Δ-Y Conversions

8 • Unbalanced three-phase systems

 A typical three-phase system consists of three

 The voltage sources can be either wye-

There are two possible combinations

Vp is the effective or rms value of the phase voltages

2- acb or negative sequence

The voltages in the two cases satisfy

 A three-phase load can be either wye-connected

 The neutral line in fig(a) may or may not be

 A wye- or delta-connected load is said to be

 For a balanced wye-connected load,

 For a balanced delta-connected load,

1) Y-Y connection (i.e., Y-connected source with a Y-connected load).

Example: Determine the phase sequence of the set of voltages

The voltages can be expressed in phasor form as

Van leads Vcn by 120o and Vcn leads Vbn 120o

Hence, the sequence is acb sequence.

For balanced four-wire Y-Y system

The line-to-line voltages or line voltages Vab, Vbc

• The set of line-to-line voltages leads the set of

The summation of line currents is equal to zero

In the Y-Y system, the line current is the same

𝐼𝑏 = 𝐼𝑎∠ − 120 = 6.81∠-141.8o A

𝑉𝐴𝑁 = 10 + 𝑗8 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 12.8∠38.66𝑜 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 87.17∠16.86𝑜

𝑉𝐵𝑁 = 87.17∠ − 103.14𝑜 𝑉𝐶𝑁 = 87.17∠ − 223.14𝑜 = 87.17∠136.86𝑜

𝑉𝐵𝐶 =63.46 ∠ − 73.14𝑜

𝑉𝐴𝑎 = 5 − 𝑗2 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 5.38∠ − 21.8𝑜 6.81∠ − 21.8𝑜 = 36.64 ∠ − 43.6𝑜

𝑉𝐵𝑏 = 36.64 ∠ − 163.6𝑜 𝑉𝐶𝑐 = 36.64 ∠ − 283.6𝑜 = 36.64 ∠76.4𝑜

𝑉𝐴𝑛 = 110∠0𝑜 − 𝑉𝐴𝑎 = 110 − 17 + 𝑗25.28 = 93 + 𝑗25.28 = 96.37∠15.21o

𝑉𝐵𝑛 = 96.37∠-104.79o 𝑉𝐶𝑛 = 96.37∠-224.79o

𝑉𝑎𝑏 = 3∠30𝑜𝑉𝑎𝑛 = 190.5∠30o

𝑉𝑏𝑐 = 3∠30𝑜𝑉𝑏𝑛 = 190.5∠-90o

𝑉𝑐𝑎 = 3∠30𝑜𝑉𝑐𝑛 = 190.5∠-210o

Assuming the positive sequence, the phase

The line voltages are

The phase currents are

Showing that the magnitude of the line current is

Another way of analyzing the circuit is to

Assuming there is no line impedances, the phase

The phase currents are

Example: A balanced Δ-connected load having an impedance 20-j15Ω is connected to

Apply KVL to loop aANBba

But Ib lags Ia by 120o for the abc sequence

Equating the last two equations gives

The phase currents are equal to the line currents

The equivalent wye-connected source has

The equivalent delta-connected load has

When the Δ-connected source is transformed to a Y-connected source

The line currents are

Which are the same as the phase currents

If ZY=Z∠θ, the phase currents lag their corresponding phase voltages by θ