DaveMcLain
Active member
I just recently installed a 7.5 horsepower phase converter in my workshop so that I can run some equipment, Sunnen CV616 etc. I got it all installed and working and I have the voltages balanced well after some capacitor experimentation. I've been thinking about the how the whole thing works:
Despite what people believe the wires are not the phases, the phases are created by the relative voltages on the three wires. The phase converter doesn't create one new phase it creates two new phases each 120 degrees apart. There are two hot wires that connect to both ends of a single winding in the 3 phase idler motor which supplies power and to one end of the other two windings. When the rotor turns it inductively couples to the windings and induces the other two phases and this makes voltage appear on the 3rd wire. The capacitors are used to phase shift the converted waves as needed to properly space them vs the single phase that's feeding the whole thing and that's needed because the induced phases have more losses and phase shift due to the fact that they are inductively coupled 2x, into and out of the rotor to the windings and the out to the other motor loads.
I think that's how it all works does that seem correct?
Despite what people believe the wires are not the phases, the phases are created by the relative voltages on the three wires. The phase converter doesn't create one new phase it creates two new phases each 120 degrees apart. There are two hot wires that connect to both ends of a single winding in the 3 phase idler motor which supplies power and to one end of the other two windings. When the rotor turns it inductively couples to the windings and induces the other two phases and this makes voltage appear on the 3rd wire. The capacitors are used to phase shift the converted waves as needed to properly space them vs the single phase that's feeding the whole thing and that's needed because the induced phases have more losses and phase shift due to the fact that they are inductively coupled 2x, into and out of the rotor to the windings and the out to the other motor loads.
I think that's how it all works does that seem correct?