Principle of 3-phase generation

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Principle of 3-phase generation

Three-phase power is produced by means of an alternator as shown in the adjacent
diagram. This kind of generator consists of a stator and a rotor (the latter not shown here).
The stator is the stationary part. It contains pole pieces and copper windings. The rotor is
the moving part inside the generator; it is mounted on a shaft via which the generator is
driven (you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it).
Illustrated below is a three-phase generator's operating principle. Demonstrated here for a better understanding
is a simplified generator whose rotor comprises a permanent magnet. In real three-phase generators, the rotor
usually comprises an electromagnet.

The stator essentially comprises three coils each wound around an iron core. The three iron cores' outer sides
are magnetically coupled via a ferromagnetic circuit. The inner face of each iron core comprises the pole pieces.
Bearing the three phase coils respectively, these pole pieces are located with a mutual, spatial displacement of
120 inside the generator. The rotor is driven at a constant angular speed, thereby inducing sinusoidal voltages
in the coils. Each voltage signal attains its positive maximum when the rotating magnet's north pole passes the
centre of the corresponding pole piece, and its negative maximum when the magnetic south pole passes this
point. Because the three pole pieces are mutually offset by 120, the induced voltages exhibit a similar phase
shift of 120. Rotors at power plants always turn an exactly steady rate, producing a fixed voltage frequency of
50 Hz which cannot be changed by the end user. The voltage value is also maintained very precisely at a
constant level.
The beginnings of the phase windings are designated U1, V1 and W1 respectively, the ends U2, V2 and W2
respectively. By concatenating (linking) the three windings together, it is possible to reduce the number of
conductors necessary for energy transmission.
Three concatenated AC signals displaced mutually by a phase angle of
120 make up a three-phase voltage.
Shown next is a chart representing the interconnection of the windings (left) and the phasor diagram of the
corresponding phase voltages (right). The phase-windings' beginnings L1, L2 and L3 (designated U1, V1 and
W1 in the animation above) serve as the outer conductor terminals. The phase windings' ends (designated U2,
V2 and W2 in the animation) are linked together to form the neutral conductor terminal N.

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Principle of 3-phase generation

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The generator voltages are transmitted from the power plant via a network of long lines and several transformer
stations to their ultimate destination, i.e. every house and consumer. The network is also referred to as the "grid"
and the supplied energy as the "mains voltage". Because the generator in the example above has four
connection lines, one speaks of a four-wire network in this case.
A four-wire network supplies two different voltages directly to consumers:
The phase voltages U

,U

1N

2N

and U

, to be tapped respectively between outer conductor L , L or L and

3N

the neutral conductor N.

The line-to-line, or simply line voltages U , U
12

23

and U , to be tapped respectively between two outer

31

conductors in each case.

Elucidated below is the relationship between the phase and line voltages in a line chart (left) and a phasor
diagram (right). The line chart represents the line voltage u , for instance, as a difference between the
31

instantaneous values of the phase voltages u

3N

and u

. The voltages U

1N

,U

1N

3N

and U

31

in the phasor diagram,

for instance, form an isosceles triangle with a base angle of 30 in each case.

In both modes of representation above, the line and phase voltages evidently have differing amplitudes. The line
voltages are larger than the phase voltages by a factor of exactly 3 = 1.732.
The value 3 = 1.732 is termed concatenation factor in three-phase
technology.
The UniTrain I system's three-phase generator used in this course is a copy of the alternator described above
and supplies similar voltages. Its voltage is adjustable but always lies within the non-hazardous, low-voltage
range highly suitable for introductory experiments. In contrast to the mains voltage from the socket in the wall,
the three-phase generator's voltage has an adjustable frequency too.
What is the value of the phase voltages in a three-phase grid with a line voltage of 400 V? Enter the answer

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Principle of 3-phase generation

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in the field provided below.

U=
V

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