BALANCED AND UNBALANCED

POLYPHASE SYSTEM

Abstract
The purpose of this research is to identify five differences between balanced
polyphase and unbalanced polyphase. The first phase of the research involves a brief
introduction where the researchers identify balanced polyphase and unbalanced
polyphase. The researchers used the internet to gather informations to come up with
the right answer about the topic. The final phase involves the conclusion where the
researchers used the preferred methodology to accurately identify the differences of
balanced polyphase and unbalanced polyphase.

Executive Summary
This report provides an analysis and evaluation of balance and unbalance
polyphase system in three phase calculations. Method of analysis include research.
Other calculations includes three phase and power calculations. All calculations can be
found in the appendices. Results of data analyzed showed that differences is due to
some factors. In particular, unequal load impedances are the main factors that affect the
phase

difference

in

three

phase

circuits.

The report finds the differences of the two systems to distinguish one from
another. The major areas of the topic require further recommendations by the
researchers. Recommendations discussed include:

Applying equal value of load impedances

Applying equal value of voltage sources
Increasing the power factor by applying capacitors or inductors

The report also investigates the fact that the analysis conducted has limitations.
Some of the limitations include International standards give limits for the unbalance ratio
defined by ratios of less than 2% for Low voltage and Medium voltage systems and less
than 1% for High voltage, measured as ten minute values, with an instantaneous
maximum of 4%.

Introduction
Three-phase systems are commonly used in generation, transmission and
distribution of electric power. Power in a three-phase system is constant rather than
pulsating and three-phase motors start and run much better than single-phase motors.
A three-phase system is a generator-load pair in which the generator produces three
sinusoidal voltages of equal amplitude and frequency but differs in phase by 120 from
each other.A three-phase power system is called balanced or symmetrical if the threephase voltages and currents have the same amplitude and are phase shifted by 120
with respect to each other. If either or both of these conditions are not met, the system
is called unbalanced or asymmetrical.

The system voltages at a generation site are generally highly symmetrical due to the
construction and operation of synchronous generators used in large centralized power
plants. Therefore, the central generation does not in general contribute to unbalance.
Even with induction (asynchronous) generators, as used for instance in some types of
wind turbines, a balanced three-phase set of voltages is obtained. However, where
small-scale distributed or embedded generation, installed at the customers site, has

become more popular and taken up a significant share of the electricity production, the
situation is different.

Many of these relatively small units, such as photovoltaic installations, are connected
to the grid at LV by means of single-phase power electronic inverter units. The
connection point has a relatively high impedance (the short-circuit power is relatively
low), leading to a potentially larger unbalance of the voltage than in the case for
connections at higher voltage level. The impedance of electricity system components is
not exactly the same for each phase. The geometrical configuration of overhead lines,
asymmetric with respect to the ground for instance, causes a difference in the electrical
parameters of the line.

Generally, these differences are very small and their effects can be neglected when
sufficient precautions, such as the transposition of lines, are taken. In most practical
cases, the asymmetry of the loads is the main cause of unbalance. At high and medium
voltage level, the loads are usually three-phase and balanced, although large single- or
dual-phase loads can be connected, such as AC rail traction or induction furnaces large
metal melting systems employing highly irregular powerful arcs to generate heat.

Three-phase power system is called balanced or symmetrical if the three-phase

voltages and currents have the same amplitude and are phase shifted by 120 with
respect to each other. If either or both of these conditions are not met, the system is
called unbalanced or asymmetrical.

In this text, it is implicitly assumed that the waveforms are sinusoidal and thus do not
contain harmonics

Figure 1. In a three-phase system, one set of phasors has the same phase sequence as
the system under study (positive sequence; say ABC), the second set has the reverse
phase sequence (negative sequence; ACB), and in the third set the phasors A, B and C
are in phase with each other (zero sequence). Essentially, this method converts three
unbalanced phases into three independent sources, which makes asymmetric
fault analysis more tractable.

Causes of Unbalances in Electric System the system operator tries to provide a

balanced system voltage at the point of common coupling between the distribution grid
and the customers internal network. Under normal conditions, these voltages are
determined by the terminal voltages of the generators, impedance of electricity system
and currents drawn by the loads throughout the transmission and distribution grid.
The most common symptoms of unbalanced voltages are the deleterious effects
they impose on electric motors. Also damaging are the effects on power supply wiring,

transformers, and generators. Unbalanced voltages at motor terminals cause phase

current unbalance ranging from six to ten times the percent voltage unbalance for a fully
loaded motor. As an example, if voltage unbalance is 1%, then current unbalance could
be anywhere from 6% to 10%. This causes motor over current resulting in excessive
heat that shortens motor life, and hence, eventual motor burnout. Other effects on
motors are that locked rotor stator winding current (already relatively high) will be
unbalanced proportional to the voltage unbalance, full load speed will be slightly
reduced, and torque will be reduced. If the voltage unbalance is great enough, the
reduced torque capability might not be8 adequate for the application and the motor will
not attain rated speed.

A motor often continues to operate with unbalanced voltages; however, its

efficiency is reduced. This reduction of efficiency is caused by both increased current (I)
and increased resistance (R) due to heating. The increase in resistance and current
"stack up" to contribute to an exponential increase in motor heating. Essentially, this
means that as the resulting losses increase, the heating intensifies rapidly. This may
lead to a condition of uncontrollable heat rise, called "thermal runaway", which results in
a rapid deterioration of the winding insulation concluding with failure of the winding.

Figure 2. If the alternator spins fast enough (clockwise, as shown), the AC voltage
induced in its windings will be enough to cause the neon lamps to "blink" (neon bulbs
have very fast reaction times and thus cannot maintain a glow for very long without
current, unlike incandescent lamps which operate on the principle of a glowing-hot
metal filament). Most likely this blinking will be too fast to discern with the naked eye.
However, if a video will be recorded, the blinking and play back recording at a slow
speed, it will able to see the sequence of light flashes. Determine the apparent
"direction" of the lamps' blinking (from right-to-left or from left-to-right), and relate that
sequence to the voltage peaks of each alternator coil pair.

Methodology
A descriptive research methodology was used for this study. A secondary
research was administered to gather information from the internet sites identified by
Electrical Engineers. The term secondary research is commonly applied to a research
methodology designed to collect data from a specific people, or a group that have
contributed to the field of electrical engineering. Utilizes the internet as the research
instrument.

Findings
In a three phase winding a positive sequence set of currents produces a normal
rotating field, a negative sequence set produces a field with the opposite rotation, and
the zero sequence set produces a field that oscillates but does not rotate between
phase windings. Since these effects can be detected physically with sequence filters,
the mathematical tool became the basis for the design of protective relays, which used
negative-sequence voltages and currents as a reliable indicator of fault conditions. Such
relays may be used to trip circuit breakers or take other steps to protect electrical
systems. The analytical technique was adopted and advanced by engineers at General
Electric and Westinghouse and after World War II it was an accepted method for
asymmetric fault analysis. As shown in the figure to the right, the three sets of
symmetrical components (positive, negative, and zero sequence) add up to create the
system of three unbalanced phases as pictured in the bottom of the diagram. The
imbalance between phases arises because of the difference in magnitude and phase
shift between the sets of vectors. Notice that the colors (red, blue, and yellow) of the

separate sequence vectors correspond to three different phases (A, B, and C, for
example). To arrive at the final plot, the sum of vectors of each phase is calculated. This
resulting vector is the effective phasor representation of that particular phase. This
process, repeated, produces the phasor for each of the three phases.

Conclusion for Balance and Unbalanced Polyphase System

In three phase power systems the generated voltages are sinusoidal and equal in
magnitude, with the individual phases one hundred twenty degrees apart. However, the
resulting power system voltages at the distribution end and the point of utilization can be
unbalanced for several reasons. The nature of the unbalance includes unequal voltage
magnitudes at the fundamental system frequency (under-voltages and over-voltages),
fundamental phase angle deviation, and unequal levels of harmonic distortion between
the phases. A major cause of voltage unbalance is the uneven distribution of singlephase loads that can be continuously changing across a three-phase power system.
Example problem areas can be rural electric power systems with long distribution lines,
as well as large urban power systems where heavy single phase demands, such as
lighting loads, are imposed by large commercial facilities. Single-phase traction and
electric transit and railroad systems can also cause considerable unbalance on the
utility three-phase system unless proper design steps are taken. Additional causes of
power

system

voltage

unbalance

can

be

asymmetrical

transformer

winding

impedances, open wye and open delta transformer banks, asymmetrical transmission
impedances possibly caused by incomplete transposition of transmission lines, and

blown fuses on three-phase capacitor banks. Industrial and commercial facilities may
have well balanced incoming supply voltages, but unbalance can develop within the
building from its own single-phase power requirements if the loads are not uniformly
spread among the three phases. Within a user facility, unbalanced voltages can also be
caused by unbalanced and overloaded equipment, and high impedance connections.

Recommendation for Balance and Unbalance Polyphase System

Unbalanced loads are the main cause of unbalanced voltages on distribution
circuits and thus a great deal can be gained by attempting to distribute single-phase
loads equally across all three voltage phases. Electrical distribution systems can be
balanced by changing the system configuration through manual and automatic feeder
switching operations to transfer loads among circuits. This reconfiguration can be
performed to reduce losses, and has the natural tendency to balance loading among
circuits. Several reconfiguration algorithms have been developed to optimize feeder
switch positions using load estimation algorithms providing load information for each
time point under analysis. Since this is performed in a discrete manner, it cannot
dynamically balance the system load. Unbalanced impedances, including transformers
and their connections, are often the next largest contributor to unbalanced voltages.
Therefore, proper selection of distribution transformers is a very important step in
preventing voltage unbalance, paying particular attention to the balancing of open wye
and open delta transformer banks. It should also be noted that open wye-open delta
banks can significantly magnify the voltage unbalance of the primary system as it
converts primary system zero sequence voltage into secondary system negative

sequence voltage. If the amount of unbalance tends to vary with the customer load, it is
a good possibility that the transformer is the cause of the unbalanced condition. One
way to determine the transformer banks contribution to voltage unbalance is to
measure the voltages on the primary and the voltages on the secondary and calculate
the percent unbalance at each point. A bank of three single-phase regulators can also
provide some correction for unbalanced voltages, but the settings must be controlled
carefully to prevent causing additional voltage unbalance. In addition, overload
conditions on the power.

References
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08142002075617/unrestricted/Barbosa_ETD.pdf
http://www.ixys.com/Documents/AppNotes/IXAN0001.pdf
http://www.electrical4u.com/three-phase-circuit-star-and-delta-system/
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08142002075617/unrestricted/Barbosa_ETD.pdf
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/worksheets/poly1.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/socratic/output/poly1.pdf
http://www.cpdee.ufmg.br/~selenios/Qualidade/Artigo4.pdf

Appendix A
Symmetrical components
Symmetrical components is the name given to a methodology, which was discovered in
1913 by Charles Legeyt Fortescue who later presented a paper on his findings entitled, Method
of Symmetrical Coordinates Applied to the Solution of Polyphase Networks. Fortescue
demonstrated that any set of unbalanced three-phase quantities could be expressed as the sum
of three symmetrical sets of balanced phasors. Using this tool, unbalanced system conditions,
like those caused by common fault types may be visualized and analyzed. Additionally, most
microprocessor based relays operate from symmetrical component quantities and so the
importance of a good understanding of this tool is self-evident.

The symmetrical components can be used to determine any unbalanced current

or voltage (Ia, Ib, Ic or Va, Vb, Vc which reference unbalanced line-to-neutral phasors)
as follows:

Ia = I1 + I2 + I0
Ib = a2I1 + aI2 + I0
Ic = aI1 + a2I2 + I0

Va = V 1 + V 2 + V 0
Vb = a2V1 + aV2 + V0
Vc = aV1 + a2V2 + V0

The sequence currents or voltages from a three-phase unbalanced set can be

calculated using the following equations:

Zero Sequence Component:

I0 = (Ia + Ib + Ic) V0 = (Va + Vb + Vc)

Positive Sequence Component:

I1 = (Ia + aIb + a2Ic) V1 = (Va + aVb + a2Vc)

Negative Sequence Component:

I2 = (Ia + a2Ib + aIc) V2 = (Va + a2Vb + aVc)

Appendix B
Three Phase Power Calculations
The formulas for calculating active, reactive, and apparent power in balanced
three-phase circuits are the same as those used for single-phase circuits. Based on the
formula for power in a single-phase circuit, the active power dissipated in each phase of
either a wye- or delta-connected load is equal to:
PPhase =E Phase I Phase cos
Where: PPhase Is the active power dissipated in each phase of a three-phase circuit,
expressed in watts (W)
E Phase Is the phase voltage across each phase of a three-phase circuit,
expressed in volts (V)
I Phase

Is the phase current flowing in each phase of a three-phase

circuit, expressed in amperes (A)

cos

Is the angle between the phase voltage and current in each

phase of a three-phase circuit, expressed in degrees ()

Therefore, the total active power PT dissipated in a three-phase circuit is equal to:
PT =3 E Phase I Phase cos
Where PT is the total active power dissipated in a three-phase circuit, expressed in watts
(W)