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Analysis of Three-phase Induction Motor Performance

under Different Voltage Unbalance Conditions Using
Simulation and Experimental Results
a a b
A. Jalilian & R. Roshanfekr
a
Department of Electrical Engineering, Centre of Excellence for Power System Automation
and Operation , Iran University of Science & Technology , Tehran, Iran
b
Tarbiat Moallem University of Sabzevar , Sabzevar, Iran
Published online: 06 Feb 2009.

To cite this article: A. Jalilian & R. Roshanfekr (2009) Analysis of Three-phase Induction Motor Performance under Different
Voltage Unbalance Conditions Using Simulation and Experimental Results, Electric Power Components and Systems, 37:3,
300-319, DOI: 10.1080/15325000802454476

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 Electric Power Components and Systems, 37:300–319, 2009
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1532-5008 print/1532-5016 online
DOI: 10.1080/15325000802454476

Analysis of Three-phase Induction Motor

Performance under Different Voltage Unbalance
Conditions Using Simulation and
Experimental Results
A. JALILIAN1 and R. ROSHANFEKR1;2
1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Centre of Excellence for Power System
Automation and Operation, Iran University of Science & Technology,
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Tehran, Iran
2
Tarbiat Moallem University of Sabzevar, Sabzevar, Iran

Abstract The performance of a three-phase squirrel cage induction motor fed by

an unbalanced voltage supply has been investigated in this article. Matlab/Simulink
software is used for simulation of the motor using simple (conventional) and exact
models under different unbalanced voltage conditions. Simulation results are verified
by performing experimental tests on a 1.5-kW standard three-phase induction motor.
With the aid of simulation and experimental results, variations of stator current,
motor efficiency, power factor, and rotor ripple have been investigated under various
steady-state unbalanced voltage conditions. It is shown that, in addition to the voltage
unbalance factor, the magnitude of positive and negative sequence components of
the unbalanced supply voltage have an important role on motor performance. For
instance, motor power factor decreases with the increase of positive sequence voltage
component, even if the voltage unbalance factor is constant. Also, the motor efficiency
decreases with the increase of the voltage unbalance factor, even if the positive
sequence component of the supplied voltage is constant. It is shown that the stator
current unbalance factor and motor losses will increase (decreasing efficiency) with
the increase of the voltage unbalance factor under constant load conditions. More-
over, the voltage unbalance factor has a negative impact on the electromagnetic torque
peak due to the decrease in the positive sequence voltage component. Using different
voltage unbalance factors, the motor derating factor is also calculated, where four
different limits are considered. The results imply conservative limits set by standards
for motor operation under unbalanced voltage conditions. A comparison between the
experimental and exact model simulation results confirmed a maximum discrepancy
of 4% between the results, indicating the validity of the employed exact model for
motor analysis in unbalanced voltage conditions.

Keywords three-phase induction motors, exact model, simple model, voltage unbal-
ance factor, current unbalance factor, derating factor

1. Introduction
Unbalanced voltage is one of the most frequent disturbances in electrical systems. Large
single-phase loads, unbalanced loads, system faults, etc. are some of the causes of voltage

Received 2 January 2008; accepted 13 August 2008.

Address correspondence to Dr. Alireza Jalilian, Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran
University of Science and Technology, Hengam Street, Narmak, Tehran, 1684613114, Iran. E-mail:
Jalilian@iust.ac.ir

300
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 301

unbalance [1]. Most of the standards only specify the percentage of voltage unbalance
without indicating the unbalance conditions. The reality is that there are many voltage
unbalance cases that have the same voltage unbalance factor (VUF) but have different
effects on loads [2–4].
A majority of industrial loads are three-phase induction motors [5]. Induction motors
are being used more than ever due to their versatility, dependability, and economical
advantages. Voltage unbalance causes the performance of motors to deviate from desirable
conditions. IEEE Std. 112 [6] allows 0.5% voltage unbalance when performing standard
tests on polyphase induction motors.
Studies concerning three-phase induction motor operation under unbalanced voltage
conditions have been conducted since the 1950s [1]. Under a voltage unbalance, the
amplitude of the line current deviations can be many times larger than the voltage
changes [7–9]. This can affect the motor protection system to be malfunctioned. Also,
pulsating torque can be created, which results in mechanical vibration and faster aging of
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the machine [10]. The other undesirable effects of the voltage unbalance on performance
of induction motors are efficiency and power factor reduction [8], loss increase [11, 12],
mechanical speed loss [13, 14], insulation damage and thermal degradation [15], and loss
of useful life [16, 17].
According to the NEMA standard, operating a motor for any length of time at
voltage unbalance above 5% is not recommended. In order to minimize the undesirable
effects of the unbalance voltage, the motor should be derated [18–20]; for instance,
it is recommended that the motor loading level be decreased so that the largest stator
phase current becomes equal to the motor rated current [19]. Another criterion is to
reduce the motor loading to keep the maximum temperature of motor windings under
an allowable limit. Analysis of an induction motor operating under various unbalanced
voltage conditions using the simple model has been reported in [18], where motor derating
is also studied. With the aid of experimental tests, the motor derating factor (DF) under
different VUFs are derived and discussed in [20].
Different analytical methods are presented for analysis of three-phase induction
motors under voltage unbalance conditions. The simple model is used for motor simula-
tion using SABER [5] and EMTP (POWERSYS Co., Las Grandes Terres, France) [10]
softwares, respectively. The use of a simple model in the form of a conventional equivalent
circuit has also been reported for simulation purposes in the literature [19, 21–23].
Application of an optical fiber sensor for experimental tests on induction motors under
unbalanced and harmonic voltage conditions was reported in [9], where a new method
for detection of source voltage unbalance is presented. Symmetrical components [21, 24],
phase frame [22], and circle diagram [25] methods have been employed for analysis of
the steady-state performance of induction motors. The phase frame method eliminates
the necessity of transforming all quantities to symmetrical components. However, another
method employs the mathematical equations used for steady-state and transient perfor-
mance analysis of induction motors [23, 26]. Application of dynamic phasors in modeling
of unbalanced polyphase AC machines has been reported in [26], where a comparison
between experimental and simulation results using a simple equivalent model is presented.
Variations of stator currents and rotor speed were investigated in this study.
In this article, based on the mathematical equations related to three-phase induction
motors, an exact model has been provided for simulation purposes where core saturation,
core losses, and friction loss are considered. Different types of voltage unbalance have
been generated using Matlab/Simulink software (The Math Works, Inc.) and applied to
a 1.5-kW three-phase induction motor. Using an experimental setup, the same voltage
 302 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

unbalance conditions have been produced using three single-phase autotransformers and
applied to the test motor. The motor performance is analyzed using exact and simple
model simulations and experimental tests under various VUFs. Variations of stator cur-
rents, motor efficiency, and power factors have been investigated and compared in this
article. Finally, different methods for determining the DF are presented for the test motor
operating under different unbalanced voltage conditions.

2. Induction Motor Modeling

To simulate the performance of the motor under different voltage unbalances, symmetrical
components (positive and negative sequences) and a d -q conventional model for positive
and negative sequences are used. Figure 1 presents the d and q equivalent circuits of
the machine for each component. The rotor speed (!r ) for the negative component is the
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reverse of the positive one, and it should be considered in simulation stage.

Equations (1)–(13) present the theoretical model of a three-phase induction ma-
chine that is used for simulation purposes in this article [27]. The static and dynamic
performance of the machine can be studied using this model:

Z  
rs
qs D !b vqs C . mq qs / dt; (1)
xl s
Z  
rs
ds D !b vds C . md ds / dt; (2)
xl s

Figure 1. The d and q equivalent circuits of three-phase induction machine.

 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 303

rr0
Z  
0 0 !r 0 0
qr D !b vqr C C . mq / dt; (3)
!b d r xlr0 qr

r0
Z  
!r
0
dr D !b vd0 r 0
qr C 0r . md
0
dr / dt; (4)
!b xlr

0
mq D xm .iqs C iqr /; (5)

md D xm .ids C id0 r /; (6)

qs mq
iqs D ; (7)
xl s
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ds md
ids D ; (8)
xl s
0
0 qr mq
iqr D 0 ; (9)
xlr

0
dr md
id0 r D 0 ; (10)
xlr
!
0
qs qr
mq D xM C 0 ; (11)
xl s xlr
 0 
ds dr
md D xM C 0 ; (12)
xl s xlr

3 P 0s 0s 0s 0s
Tem D . qr id r d r iqr /: (13)
2 2!b

In the above equations, , i , and x are the motor flux linkage, current, and reactance
related to the stator (s) and rotor (r ), respectively. The equation of motion of the rotor
is obtained by equating the inertia torque to the accelerating torque, that is,

2J !b d.!r =!b /
D Tem C Tmech Tdamp : (14)
P dt

The given model is simulated using Matlab/Simulink software in different conditions

so that the performances of the test three-phase induction motor in unbalanced voltage
conditions can be evaluated. The block diagram of the simulated model in the software
environment is shown in Figure A.1 of Appendix A.
The amplitude and phase angle of the positive and negative sequence voltage com-
ponents (Vmp , phasep , Vmn , and phasen , respectively), mechanical load torque (Tmech ),
and three input line voltages are the six inputs of this model. Stator and rotor currents,
electromagnetic torque (Te ), rotor speed (!r ), slip (s), input active power (Pin ), input
reactive power (Qin ), input apparent power (Sin ), output power (Pout), power factor,
 304 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

and efficiency are considered as outputs of this model. In the exact model, core loss,
mechanical loss, and core saturation have been considered, while in the simple model,
these parameters are ignored. Figure A.2 in Appendix A shows the part of the induction
motor model for simulation of mutual flux saturation.

3. Implementation of Different Voltage Unbalance Conditions

in Simulation and Experimental Tests
The general definition of voltage unbalance is given by NEMA [1, 4] as

Vmax
Voltage Unbalance Percent D  100; (15)
Vavg
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where Vavg is the average of the three-phase RMS voltages, and Vmax is the maximum
difference between each voltage and the average. Another definition is known as the
VUF, which is defined by IEC [5, 14] as
ˇ ˇ
ˇ Vn ˇ
VUF D ˇˇ ˇˇ  100; (16)
Vp

where Vn and Vp are negative and positive sequence voltage components, respectively.
This definition is an accurate analytical approach for the calculation of voltage unbalance
in various conditions.

3.1. Different Conditions for Voltage Unbalance

Infinitive states are possible to make voltage unbalance conditions in a power system.
Changes in only the amplitude of voltage may result in following conditions [1]:

 three-phase under-voltage unbalance (3 UV),

 two-phase under-voltage unbalance (2 UV),
 single-phase under-voltage unbalance (1 UV),
 single-phase over-voltage unbalance (1 OV),
 two-phase over-voltage unbalance (2 OV), and
 three-phase over-voltage unbalance (3 OV).

It should be mentioned that voltage unbalance can also be created by changes in the
phase angle of three-phase voltages, which is not considered in this study.
The block diagram of Figure 2 is used for simulation of the three-phase unbalanced
voltage source in Matlab/Simulink software. As shown, different unbalanced voltage
conditions can be produced with changes in the amplitude of A-, B-, and C-phase
voltages. The outputs of this block are the amplitudes and the phases of positive and
negative sequence voltages and the calculated VUF in each condition. In order to make the
unbalance voltage conditions in the experimental test, three single-phase autotransformers
are used. With changes in the amplitude of each autotransformer by trial-and-error, the
exact state of unbalance voltage is achieved. Figure 3 shows the experimental setup
diagram that is used for experimental tests on an induction motor.
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 305
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Figure 2. Matlab/Simulink block diagram of three-phase unbalanced voltage source.

A 1.5-kW three-phase squirrel cage induction motor is used for simulation and exper-
imental tests in this investigation. Specifications of the test motor is given in Appendix B.
In the simulation stage, the amplitudes of three-phase voltages are calculated so that the
desired VUF can be achieved for different conditions. In experimental tests, the mag-
nitudes of three-phase voltages are adjusted using the autotransformers to achieve the
same conditions as in simulation stages. In experimental tests, all electrical quantities are
measured using a three-phase digital power multi-meter. A standard tachometer is also
employed for mechanical speed measurement. In order to compare the simulation and
experimental test results, the motor output power is considered to be the same in each
series of tests. Experimental tests and simulations are conducted in three cases related to
the aforementioned six states of voltage unbalance as:
 cases with the same VUF but different unbalance voltages (see Tables 1 and 2),
 cases with only one unbalanced voltage but different VUFs (see Table 3), and
 cases with the same positive-sequence voltages but different negative-sequence
voltages (see Table 4).

Figure 3. Experimental setup for induction motor tests.

 306 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

Table 1
The results of motor operation under six voltage unbalance cases at
60% of the output power and VUF D 2%

Simulation
Experiment (exact model)

Vab Vbc Vca Vp Vn  pf  pf

Condition (V) (V) (V) (V) (V) (%) (%) (%) (%)

Balance 220.0 220.0 220.0 220.0 0.0 77.5 65.5 80.5 62.2
3 UV 206.2 211.3 204.4 207.3 4.2 77.4 70.7 80.5 67.8
2 UV 207.6 214.5 213.1 211.7 4.2 77.3 68.8 80.5 65.8
1 UV 213.5 220.0 213.5 215.6 4.3 77.2 66.9 80.3 64.5
1 OV 226.8 220.0 226.8 224.5 4.5 75.8 62.4 79.8 59.8
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2 OV 230.8 227.8 223.0 227.2 4.5 75.4 61.0 79.0 58.0

3 OV 237.3 230.8 230.0 232.7 4.6 74.7 57.8 78.0 54.6

4. Analysis of the Simulation and Experimental Results

4.1. Voltage Unbalance Conditions with the Same VUF

The supplied three-phase voltages in this test are shown in Tables 1 and 2 with VUF D 2%
and VUF D 4%, respectively. The output power of the motor is adjusted to 60% of the
rated power so that the stator currents do not exceed the rated value. In addition to
the supplied three-phase voltages and their calculated positive and negative sequence
components, Tables 1 and 2 also show the exact model simulation and experimental test
results, including efficiency and power factor variations.
Variations of motor efficiency with a VUF using experimental and simulation (exact
and simple models) results are also illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. It can be seen that the

Table 2
The results of motor operation under six voltage unbalance cases at
60% of the output power and VUF D 4%

Simulation
Experiment (exact model)

Vab Vbc Vca Vp Vn  pf  pf

Condition (V) (V) (V) (V) (V) (%) (%) (%) (%)

Balance 220.0 220.0 220.0 220.0 0.0 77.5 65.5 80.5 62.2
3 UV 192.9 205.9 203.6 200.7 8.0 77.3 73.7 80.3 70.7
2 UV 195.8 209.0 206.9 203.9 8.0 77.2 72.6 80.3 69.4
1 UV 207.4 220.0 207.4 211.5 8.4 76.9 69.6 79.7 66.4
1 OV 233.9 220.0 233.8 229.2 9.2 76.2 59.4 78.4 57.0
2 OV 264.1 229.8 236.5 237.4 9.5 75.3 53.6 76.4 51.9
3 OV 249.3 232.7 240.2 240.7 9.6 74.6 51.9 75.5 50.3
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 307
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Figure 4. Variation of motor efficiency with positive sequence voltage (VUF D 2%) at 60% of
the rated power.

Figure 5. Variation of motor efficiency with positive sequence voltage (VUF D 4%) at 60% of
the rated power.
 308 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

variation of efficiency with the VUF is very small (almost constant) where the simple
model is employed for motor simulations. The reason is that the magnetic reactance in
the simple model is constant (Xm D 105  in this case), and therefore, the magnetizing
current and stator copper losses are also constant. The variation of input power is very
small, which is mainly due to the small changes in stator current due to the variation of
the VUF, resulting in slight changes in efficiency (i.e., less than 1% of the output power).
Also, the motor power factor is obtained using simulation and experimental results,
and their variations with a VUF of 2% and 4% are shown in Figures 6 and 7, respectively.
The results indicate that with the same VUF, the changes in positive sequence voltage
components are 25.4 V and 40 V for VUF D 2% and VUF D 4%, respectively. The
changes in negative sequence voltage components are 0.48 V and 1.63 V for VUF D 2%
and VUF D 4%, respectively. These figures show that with the same VUF, a higher
positive sequence voltage gives a lower efficiency and power factor when exact model
and experimental tests results are considered. The reason for decreasing the efficiency
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can be justified as motor input power increases with the increase of a positive sequence
voltage component. This figure is contrary to the results obtained from simple modeling of
the motor, where slight changes are observed in motor efficiency as the positive sequence
component of the voltage increases. However, a decrease in motor power factor with an
increase of positive sequence voltage component is caused by motor core saturation. This
would decrease the magnetizing reactance and increase the magnetizing current, which,
in turn, results in an increase in motor reactive power.
It should be noted that in these tests, the input active power increases with the
positive sequence voltage component, but the increase in the reactive power is larger
than the increase in the active power. For example, in Table 1, the increase in active

Figure 6. Variation of motor power factor with positive sequence voltage (VUF D 2%) at 60% of
the rated power.
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 309
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Figure 7. Variation of motor power factor with positive sequence voltage (VUF D 4%) at 60% of
the rated power.

and reactive power from the three-phase under-voltage unbalance case to the three-phase
over-voltage unbalance case, which corresponds to the increase in the positive sequence
voltage component, is 41 W and 540 Var, respectively. Therefore, with an increase in the
positive sequence voltage component, the power factor has decreased.

4.2. Decreasing in Single-phase Voltage

In this set of tests, the amplitude of the A-phase voltage has been reduced, and the
voltages of the other two phases were kept constant at the rated value. Accordingly,
the VUF has changed from 1% to 7%, as shown in Table 3. The RMS values of the
three-phase voltages and their positive and negative sequence voltage components are
also calculated and shown in Table 3. The motor output power is adjusted to 60% of
the rated value. Using the experimental results, the efficiency, power factor, and positive
and negative sequence components of the stator currents are calculated and shown in this
table.
Variations of the motor efficiency and power factor resulting from simulation and
experimental tests are shown in Figures 8 and 9, respectively. It can be seen that as the
VUF increases, the motor efficiency and power factor decreases. In this case, because
of the decrease in the positive sequence voltage component with the increase of the
VUF, the magnetizing reactance increases. Therefore, the magnetizing current decreases,
and hence, the motor reactive power also decreases. Moreover, because of the increase in
motor losses, the active input power increases. Thus, compared to the balanced voltage
condition, the motor power factor under the single-phase voltage unbalance condition
has increased. As it is shown in Table 3, when the unbalance voltage factor increases
 310 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

Table 3
Experimental results of motor operation under different VUFs by decreasing
single-phase voltage at 60% of the output power

VUF Vab Vbc Vca Vp Vn  pf Ip In CUF

(%) (V) (V) (V) (V) (V) (%) (%) (A) (A) (%)

0 220.0 220 220.0 220.0 0.0 77.5 65.5 4.7 0.00 0.0
1 216.7 220 216.7 217.8 2.2 77.3 66.4 4.7 0.13 2.8
2 213.5 220 213.5 215.6 4.3 77.2 66.9 4.6 0.26 5.7
3 210.4 220 210.4 213.6 6.4 77.0 68.0 4.7 0.40 8.6
4 207.5 220 207.5 211.5 8.4 76.9 69.6 4.6 0.53 11.4
5 204.5 220 204.5 209.5 10.4 76.7 69.9 4.7 0.66 14.1
6 201.6 220 201.6 207.5 12.5 76.0 70.0 4.7 0.79 16.9
7 198.7 220 198.7 205.5 14.4 75.6 71.2 4.7 0.92 19.7
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in constant load conditions, motor currents change so that the positive sequence current
component stays constant and the voltage unbalance affects only the negative sequence
current component. The simulation results and the circuit analysis of the motor in this
condition confirm this fact.
Figures 10 and 11 show the variation of rotor electromagnetic torque ripple from
startup under VUF D 2% and VUF D 7% and at 60% of the rated power using simulation

Figure 8. Variation of motor efficiency with VUF (Table 3) at 60% of the rated power.
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 311
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Figure 9. Variation of motor power factor with VUF (Table 3) at 60% of the rated power.

results. The peak-to-peak value of torque ripple is calculated to be 1.9 Nm and 6.4 Nm
with VUF D 2% and VUF D 7%, respectively. It means that by increasing the VUF, the
range of torque ripple increases in motor. Also, in this test (only decreasing single-phase
voltage), as VUF increases, the positive sequence voltage decreases, and hence, the first
swing amplitude in electromagnetic torque decreases.

Figure 10. Variation of electromagnetic torque ripple at VUF D 2%.

 312 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr
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Figure 11. Variation of electromagnetic torque ripple at VUF D 7%.

The negative sequence component of the supply voltage produces an air gap flux that
rotates at the synchronous speed opposite to the direction of the rotor motion. Therefore,
under normal operating conditions (i.e., low slip conditions, where s  0), the frequency
of the rotor current due to the induced emf produced by the negative sequence component
is almost twice that of the supply frequency, i.e., .2 s/f . Therefore, the frequency of the
torque ripple is .2 s/f . In experimental tests, however, the motor sound (noise) increases
with the increase of VUF, indicating the increase of rotor electromagnetic torque ripple.

4.3. Voltage Unbalance Conditions with Constant Positive Sequence

Voltage Component
The supplied three-phase voltages and their positive and negative sequence components in
this test are shown in Table 4. Using the experimental test results, the calculated values
for efficiency, power factor, positive and negative sequence components of the stator
currents, and their current unbalance factor (CUF) are shown in this table. Figures 12
and 13 illustrate the variations of motor efficiency and power factor with the negative

Table 4
Experimental results of motor operation under different VUFs with the same positive
sequence voltage component at 60% of the output power

VUF Vab Vbc Vca Vp Vn  pf Ip In CUF

(%) (V) (V) (V) (V) (V) (%) (%) (A) (A) (%)

0 220.0 220.0 220.0 220 0.0 77.5 65.5 4.7 0.00 0.0
1 221.9 218.1 220.0 220 2.2 77.3 65.5 4.7 0.13 2.9
2 223.8 216.2 220.0 220 4.4 77.0 65.5 4.7 0.26 5.6
3 225.7 214.3 220.0 220 6.6 76.7 65.4 4.7 0.40 8.4
4 227.6 212.4 220.1 220 8.8 76.3 65.4 4.8 0.53 11.1
5 229.6 210.5 220.2 220 11.0 75.9 65.4 4.8 0.65 13.6
6 231.5 208.6 220.4 220 13.2 75.6 65.4 4.8 0.78 16.1
7 233.4 206.8 220.5 220 15.4 75.2 65.5 4.9 0.90 18.4
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 313
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Figure 12. Variations of motor efficiency with negative sequence voltage at 60% of the rated
power (Table 4).

Figure 13. Variations of motor power factor with negative sequence voltage at 60% of the rated
power (Table 4).
 314 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

sequence component of the supplied voltage using simulation and experimental results.
It can be seen that the changes in the negative sequence voltage component does not
significantly affect the motor power factor because of the fact that positive sequence
voltage component remained constant.
In fact, in this series of tests, the variation of the motor reactive power is low
(about 37 Var), and the variation of the active power from balanced voltage conditions
(VUF D 0) to the most unbalanced case (VUF D 7%) is about 32 W (2% of the rated
power). Thus, it can be expected that the motor power factor does not have significant
changes. It can be concluded that if the positive sequence voltage component is kept
constant, with an increase in the negative sequence voltage component, the motor losses
will increase, and therefore, the motor efficiency will decrease. In this experiment, as
shown in Table 4, with the constant load when the VUF increases, only the negative
sequence component of the stator current increases, while its positive component remains
almost constant. It can also be seen that the CUF is relatively large as compared to the
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VUF supplied to the motor. This implies that the motor negative sequence impedance is
relatively small compared to its positive sequence impedance.

5. DF
The DF indicates the maximum motor loading level under unbalanced voltage conditions
in which no damage is imposed to the motor. In this section, different cases for calculating
the motor DF under unbalanced voltage conditions are considered. Case 1 is calculated
based on a curve presented by the NEMA standard. Case 2 is resulted by decreasing
the motor loading level so that the largest stator phase current reaches the rated value.
In Case 3, the DF is calculated while the motor loading level is decreased so that the
average of the three-phase stator currents is equal to the rated value. In Case 4, the
motor loading level is decreased so that the motor losses become equal to the rated
losses.
By means of simulations, the aforementioned cases have been applied to the test
induction motor, and the calculated DFs are given in Table 5. A graphical comparison
of the calculated DFs in different cases is also illustrated in Figure 14. It can be seen
that the calculated DF from Cases 1 and 2 are almost the same. However, the figures
imply that standard limits are too conservative in terms of applying unbalanced voltage
to induction motors where more than 26% of motor load should be reduced when a
VUF of 5% is applied to the motor. On the other hand, the results of Cases 3 and 4 are

Table 5
Comparison of DFs (in %) for 1.5-kW three-phase induction motor
using simulation results

VUF Case 1: Case 2: Case 3: Case 4:

(%) NEMA Imax D Irated Iavg D Irated Ploss D Prated-loss

1 98 95.3 98.6 99.8

2 95 90.2 98.4 99.6
3 90 84.9 98.2 99.0
4 83 79.5 97.7 98.3
5 76 73.9 97.3 97.4
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 315
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Figure 14. The calculated DF in four cases using simulation results.

almost the same, and they are very different from Cases 1 and 2. In both cases, motor
loading level is slightly reduced in the presence of unbalanced supply voltage, i.e., less
than 3% with a VUF of 5%. It can be said that in Case 3, motor total losses are almost
equal to the rated value (similar to Case 4), while the calculated DFs are larger than the
DFs from Cases 1 and 2. This figure implies less conservative limits for motor operating
under unbalanced voltage conditions where no significant derating is required. However,
in Cases 3 and 4, some of the stator currents are larger than the rated value and may result
in activation of protection devices. The given results can be used for reconsideration of
the standard limits for induction motors operating under unbalanced voltage conditions in
order to propose higher limits for induction motors operating under unbalanced voltage
conditions.

6. Conclusions
In this article, the performance of a three-phase induction motor under various voltage un-
balance conditions is studied. A 1.5-kW motor is selected for simulation and experimental
tests. Variation of motor current, power factor, efficiency and derating with the VUF, and
positive and negative sequence components of the supply voltage are investigated using
simulation and experimental results. Simulations are conducted using simple and exact
models, and the results are compared with each other and with the experimental test
results. It is confirmed that the results obtained from exact modeling of a motor are very
similar to experimental test results while very different from simulation results using
simple modeling of test motor.
 316 A. Jalilian and R. Roshanfekr

It is shown that with the same VUF, motor power factor decreases with the increase
of positive sequence voltage component. In fact, the negative sequence voltage component
does not have any important role on motor power factor changes. One of the reasons can
be the motor core saturation, which causes a decrease in magnetizing reactance and an
increase in magnetizing current and motor reactive power.
It is also concluded that the motor efficiency cannot be calculated on the basis of
the positive sequence voltage component. Simulation and experimental results show that
both positive and negative voltage components affect the motor efficiency. However,
with the constant positive sequence voltage component and with the increase of negative
sequence voltage component, motor losses increase, and therefore, motor efficiency
decreases. In other words, in this particular case, motor efficiency decreases with the
increase of the VUF. The variation of efficiency in the simple model is very small, where
supply voltage with constant VUF is applied. It is noted that the magnetic reactance in
the simple model is constant, and therefore, the variation of input power is very small.
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With the increase of the VUF under constant load conditions, the positive sequence
component of the stator current remains constant, while its negative sequence component
increases. Therefore, the stator CUF and motor losses are increased, resulting in decreased
efficiency.
According to the simulation results, the rotor torque ripple is twice the supply
frequency. It is shown that the magnitude of this ripple can be increased with the increase
of VUF. As a result, a high acoustic sound was experienced during the experimental tests
on the motor under unbalanced voltage conditions. It is also observed that the first swing
amplitude in simulated electromagnetic torque decreases as VUF increases. The reason
is seen to be the decrease in the positive sequence voltage component of the supplied
unbalanced voltage.
Finally, the DF is calculated for the induction motor operating under different
unbalanced voltage conditions. The results implied that most standard limits for VUFs
are too conservative to be applied to typical induction motors.

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Figure A.1. Matlab/Simulink block diagram of three-phase induction motor for simulation under
different voltage unbalance conditions.

Figure A.2. Matlab/Simulink block diagram for simulation of mutual flux saturation.
 Induction Motor Performance under Voltage Unbalance 319

Appendix A
Figure A.1 shows the general block diagram of three-phase induction motor model for
simulation in Matlab/Simulink software. As shown, the model includes some subsystems
such as positive and negative sequence models for induction motor, output parameter
measurement system, and the mechanical load. Figure A.2 shows the block diagram for
simulation of mutual flux saturation of motor core, which is used in exact model.

Appendix B
The parameters of the selected three-phase induction motor for experimental and simu-
lation tests are:

Vrated D 220 V; Prated D 1500 W;

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Rs D 6:24 ; Rr0 D 4:66 ;

Xl s D Xlr0 D 6:17 ; Xm D 95:29 ;

J D 0:042 kg:m2 ; f D 50 Hz: