Which of the following are properties of balanced 3-phase power systems? Select all that apply.
A. All 3-phase voltages have equal magnitude and are 90° apart.
B. Three-phase systems transmit alternating currents.
C. Neutral wire, if present, carries no current.
D. Three-phase systems can produce rotating magnetic field.
E. In a wye connection, the line voltage equals the phase voltage.
Let's analyze the truth behind each of our possible answers:
A. All 3 phase voltages have equal magnitude and are 90 degrees apart - FALSE - The first part of the answer, that 3-phase voltages have equal magnitude, is in fact true. However, 3 phase voltages are 120 degrees apart from each other, not 90 degrees. Since 360/3 = 120, this spacing allows the phases to be balance so that power transfer at any point of time is constant.
B. Three-phase systems transmit alternating currents - TRUE - Three phase power systems carry alternating currents that are equal in frequency and offset by 120 degrees from each other.
C. Neutral wire, if present, carries no current - TRUE - The fundamental purpose of the neutral wire is to serve as a return path. The neutral current is the vector sum of the three line currents. Therefore, when we have a balanced system, this sum will equal 0 and the neutral wire current will be equal to 0.
D. Three-phase systems can produce rotating magnetic field. - TRUE - A rotating magnetic field is produced when a 3-phase winding is energized by a 3-phase supply.
E. In a wye connection, the line voltage equals the phase voltage. - FALSE - It is a delta configuration, not a wye configuration, that produces equal line and phase voltages.
Therefore, our final answer is B, C, and D.
If the complex power is 7,500 VA with a power factor of 0.778 lagging, the reactive power (VAR) is most nearly:
Assume a 120-V, single-phase source is feeding a load of $$7+j12 (Omega)$$ through a line impedance of $$2+j0 (Omega)$$. The magnitude (V) of the voltage drop across the line is most nearly:
A. 16
B. 27
C. 97
D. 111
A balanced 3-phase load is rated at 100 kVA and 0.65 pf lagging. A purely capacitive load is added in parallel with the inductive load to improve the power factor to 0.9 lagging. The capacitive load must supply a reactive power (kvar) that is most nearly:
A. 76
B. 65
C. 45
D. 31
The following were installed in an AC circuit:
An ammeter, which reads 15 $$A_(rms)$$
A voltmeter, which reads 115 $$V_(rms)$$
A wattmeter, which reads 1,500 W
The power factor of the circuit is most nearly:
A. -0.87
B. -0.5
C. 0.5
D. 0.87