Misplaced Pages

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Polyphase coil" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Polyphase coils are electromagnetic coils connected together in a polyphase system such as a generator or motor. In modern systems, the number of phases is usually three or a multiple of three. Each phase carries a sinusoidal alternating current whose phase is delayed relative to one of its neighbours and advanced relative to its other neighbour. The phase currents are separated in time evenly within each period of the alternating current. For example, in a three-phase system, the phases are separated from each other by one-third of the period.

Coil construction

Like all coils used in electrical machinery, polyphase coils (made from insulated conducting wire) are wound around ferromagnetic armatures with radial projections and maximum core-surface exposure to the magnetic field.

The windings are physically separated around the circumference of an electrical machine. The result of such an arrangement is a rotating magnetic field that is used to convert electrical power to rotary mechanical work, or vice versa.

Polyphase motors and generators

Compared to single-phase motors and generators, polyphase motors are simpler, because they do not require external circuitry (using capacitors and inductors) to produce a starting torque. Polyphase machines can deliver constant power over each period of the alternating current, eliminating the pulsations found in a single-phase machine as the current passes through zero amplitude.

History

The use of polyphase coils in electrical power systems was pioneered by the engineers Nikola Tesla, Galileo Ferraris, and Michail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky.

See also

• Alternator
• Induction motor
• Single-phase generator

v t e Transformer topics
Topics	Balun Buchholz relay Bushing Center tap Circle diagram Condition monitoring of transformers Electrical insulation paper Growler High-leg delta Induction regulator Leakage inductance Magnet wire Metadyne Open-circuit test Polarity Pressure relief valve Quadrature booster Resolver Resonant inductive coupling Severity factor Short-circuit test Stacking factor Synchro Tap changer Toroidal inductors and transformers Transformer oil Dissolved gas analysis Transformer oil testing Transformer utilization factor Vector group
Types	Autotransformer Buck–boost transformer Distribution transformer Pad-mounted transformer Delta-wye transformer Energy efficient transformer Amorphous metal transformer Flyback transformer Grounding transformer Instrument transformer Current transformer Voltage transformer Isolation transformer Austin transformer Linear variable differential transformer Parametric transformer Planar transformer Rotary transformer Rotary variable differential transformer Scott-T transformer Solid-state transformer Trigger transformer Variable-frequency transformer Zigzag transformer
Coils	Hybrid coil Induction coil Oudin coil Polyphase coil Repeating coil Tesla coil Trembler coil
Manufacturers	ABB General Electric Mitsubishi Electric ProlecGE Schneider Electric Siemens TBEA WEG

This electronics-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Electric transformers
• Electromagnetic coils
• AC power
• Electronics stubs