05/02/2015

ThreePhaseCircuit|StarandDeltaSystem|Electrical4u

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Circuit ThreePhaseDCDCPower DCMotor

Three Phase Circuit | Star and Delta System

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Thispageisallabout:
ThreePhaseVsSinglePhase
StarConnection
DeltaConnection
Therearetwotypesofsystemavailableinelectriccircuit,singlephaseandthreephasesystem.In
singlephasecircuit,therewillbeonlyonephase,i.ethecurrentwillflowthroughonlyonewireand
therewillbeonereturnpathcalledneutrallinetocompletethecircuit.Soinsinglephaseminimum
amountofpowercanbetransported.Herethegeneratingstationandloadstationwillalsobesingle
phase.Thisisanoldsystemusingfromprevioustime.

In1882,newinventionhasbeendoneonpolyphasesystem,thatmorethanonephasecanbeusedfor
generating,transmittingandforloadsystem.Threephasecircuitisthepolyphasesystemwherethree
phasesaresendtogetherfromthegeneratortotheload.Eachphasearehavingaphasedifferenceof
120,i.e120angleelectrically.Sofromthetotalof360,threephasesareequallydividedinto120
each.Thepowerinthreephasesystemiscontinuousasallthethreephasesareinvolvedingenerating
thetotalpower.Thesinusoidalwavesfor3phasesystemisshownbelow
Thethreephasescanbeusedassinglephaseeach.Soiftheloadissinglephase,thenonephasecan
betakenfromthethreephasecircuitandtheneutralcanbeusedasgroundtocompletethecircuit.

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05/02/2015

ThreePhaseCircuit|StarandDeltaSystem|Electrical4u

Why Three Phase is preferred Over Single Phase?

Therearevariousreasonsforthisquestionbecausetherearenumbersofadvantagesoversinglephase
circuit.Thethreephasesystemcanbeusedasthreesinglephaselinesoitcanactasthreesingle
phasesystem.Thethreephasegenerationandsinglephasegenerationissameinthegeneratorexcept
thearrangementofcoilinthegeneratortoget120phasedifference.Theconductorneededinthree
phasecircuitis75%thatofconductorneededinsinglephasecircuit.Andalsotheinstantaneouspower
insinglephasesystemfallsdowntozeroasinsinglephasewecanseefromthesinusoidalcurvebut
inthreephasesystemthenetpowerfromallthephasesgivesacontinuouspowertotheload.
Tillnowwecansaythattherearethreevoltagesourceconnectedtogethertoformathreephase
circuit.Andactuallyitisinsidethegenerator.Thegeneratorishavingthreevoltagesourceswhichare
actingtogetherin120phasedifference.Ifwecanarrangethreesinglephasecircuitwith120phase
difference,thenitwillbecomeathreephasecircuit.So120phasedifferenceismustotherwisethe
circuitwillnotwork,thethreephaseloadwillnotbeabletogetactiveanditmayalsocausedamageto
thesystem.

Thesizeormetalquantityofthreephasedevicesisnothavingmuchdifference.Nowifweconsiderthe
transformer,itwillbealmostsamesizeforbothsinglephaseandthreephasebecausetransformerwill
makeonlythelinkageofflux.Sothethreephasesystemwillhavehigherefficiencycomparedtosingle
phasebecauseforthesameorlittledifferenceinmassoftransformer,threephaselinewillbeout
whereasinsinglephaseitwillbeonlyone.Andlosseswillbeminimuminthreephasecircuit.So
overallinconclusionthethreephasesystemwillhavebetterandhigherefficiencycomparedtothe
singlephasesystem.
Inthreephasecircuit,connectionscanbegivenintwotypes:
1. Starconnection
2. Deltaconnection

Star Connection
Instarconnection,thereisfourwire,threewiresarephasewireandfourthisneutralwhichistaken
fromthestarpoint.Starconnectionispreferredforlongdistancepowertransmissionbecauseitis
havingtheneutralpoint.Inthisweneedtocometotheconceptofbalancedandunbalancedcurrentin
powersystem.
Whenequalcurrentwillflowthroughallthethreephases,thenitiscalledasbalancedcurrent.And
whenthecurrentwillnotbeequalinanyofthephase,thenitisunbalancedcurrent.Inthiscase,during
balancedconditiontherewillbenocurrentflowingthroughtheneutrallineandhencethereisnouseof
theneutralterminal.Butwhentherewillbeunbalancedcurrentflowinginthethreephasecircuit,neutral
ishavingavitalrole.Itwilltaketheunbalancedcurrentthroughtothegroundandprotectthe
transformer.Unbalancedcurrentaffectstransformeranditmayalsocausedamagetothetransformer
andforthisstarconnectionispreferredforlongdistancetransmission.
Thestarconnectionisshownbelow

Instarconnection,thelinevoltageis3timesofphasevoltage.Linevoltageisthevoltagebetween
twophasesinthreephasecircuitandphasevoltageisthevoltagebetweenonephasetotheneutral
line.Andthecurrentissameforbothlineandphase.Itisshownasexpressionbelow

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ThreePhaseCircuit|StarandDeltaSystem|Electrical4u

Delta Connection
Indeltaconnection,thereisthreewiresaloneandnoneutralterminalistaken.Normallydelta
connectionispreferredforshortdistanceduetotheproblemofunbalancedcurrentinthecircuit.The
figureisshownbelowfordeltaconnection.Intheloadstation,groundcanbeusedasneutralpathif
required.

Indeltaconnection,thelinevoltageissamewiththatofphasevoltaage.Andthelinecurrentis3
timesofphasecurrent.Itisshownasexpressionbelow,

Inthreephasecircuit,staranddeltaconnectioncanbearrangedinfourdifferentways
1.
2.
3.
4.

StarStarconnection
StarDeltaconnection
DeltaStarconnection
DeltaDeltaconnection

Butthepowerisindependentofthecircuitarrangementofthethreephasesystem.Thenetpowerinthe
circuitwillbesameinbothstaranddeltaconnection.Thepowerinthreephasecircuitcanbe
calculatedfromtheequationbelow,

Sincethereisthreephases,sothemultipleof3ismadeinthenormalpowerequationandthePFis
powerfactor.Powerfactorisaveryimportantfactorinthreephasesystemandsometimesdueto
certainerror,itiscorrectedbyusingcapacitors.
ObjectiveQuestionsonCircuitTheory(MCQs)

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