Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

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jimwalker

Senior Member
Location
TAMPA FLORIDA
On a school i am now wiring only single phase is available.To get us 3 phase Y no high leg all POCO (TECO) needs to add is 1 more hot leg.So do i really have 2 phase now ???? ;) ;)
 

electricman2

Senior Member
Location
North Carolina
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Re: Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

No, it is still single phase. Even though they would only add one ungrounded conductor to have a three phase service. Each conductor would carry two of the three phases.
 

jimwalker

Senior Member
Location
TAMPA FLORIDA
Re: Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

a drawing on this would be helpfull.Iam sure it will work but find it hard to understand.I now have from only one hot wire a system with 120 volts ground to hot ,240 hot to hot ,and 180 degrees out of phase (2 phases ? )
 

bphgravity

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Re: Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

Instead of thinking in terms of how many wires there are or how they are connected, think of the electromagnetic and magnetomotive forces that are created in a single-phase system verses a 2-phase or 3-phase system.

In a single-phase transformer, the flux in the magnetic circuit are in phase, whereas a polyphase system has two or three magnetic circuits through the core and the flux in the various circuits are displaced in phase.

Its an issue of time. A 3-phase system as three alternating single-phase currents of equal frequency and amplitude, but differing in phase from each other by one-third of a period. The time period is the same with a 3-wire 120V/240V system. :)
 

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Re: Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

I like to think of it like counting pairs of cards in cribbage.

2 of a kind = 1 pair -> 2 hot conductors = 1 phase
3 of a kind = 3 pairs -> 3 hot conductors = 3 phases
 
B

bthielen

Guest
Re: Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

Good analogy, Jim. I was trying to think of a simple way to draw a verbal picture and you hit the nail right on the head.

It's not the number of wires but the number of relationships that determine the phasing.

Bob
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
Re: Is single phase 120/240 really 2 phase ?

You're welcome Jim.

I know you know most of this information, but click here for another good site, just use the index on the left to navigate through it.

Roger
 
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