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From: mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: 1 phase to 3 phase conversion
Message-ID: <1991Mar28.205341.11182@athena.cs.uga.edu>
Date: 28 Mar 91 20:53:41 GMT
References: <1991Mar28.191005.1653@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens
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3-phase is indeed 3 sine waves, 120 degrees out of phase with each other.
Sometimes it is delivered on 4 wires and sometimes on three.

Its advantages have to do with motors and generators that have 3 windings
(120 degrees out of phase with each other of course!) instead of just one.
Also, with full-wave rectifiers, if you have 3-phase input you can use
6 diodes and get much less ripple than with 1-phase input.

That's all I know. Single-to-3-phase conversion sounds very difficult.
-- 
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Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs
The University of Georgia  |  Athens, GA 30602   U.S.A.
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