Calculating Single- and 3-Phase Parameters

Apr 1, 2008Electrical Construction and Maintenance

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Welcome to the first in a series of articles focusing on electrical calculation basics. This month, we'll discuss the

most fundamental of calculations those for current (I) and kilowatts (kW). We'll also show you how you can do
these calculations in your head, with very reasonable accuracy, through the use of constants.

You may ask, What exactly is a constant? An example of a constant with which you're very
much familiar is pi (), which is derived by dividing a circle's circumference by its diameter.
No matter what the circumference and diameter of the respective circle, their ratio is always
pi. You can use constants that apply to specific single- and 3-phase voltages to calculate
current (I) and kilowatts (kW). Let's see how to do this.

Single-Phase Calculations
Basic electrical theory tells us that for a single-phase system,
kW = (V I PF) 1,000.
For the sake of simplicity, let's assume the power factor (PF) is unity. Therefore, the above
equation becomes
kW = (V I) 1,000.
Solving for I, the equation becomes
I = 1,000kW V (Equation 1)
Now, if we look at the 1,000 V portion of this equation, you can see that by inserting the
respective single-phase voltage for V and dividing it into the 1,000, you get a specific
number (or constant) you can use to multiply kW to get the current draw of that load at
the respective voltage.
For example, the constant for the 120V calculation is 8.33 (1,000 120). Using this
constant, Equation 1 becomes

I = 8.33kW.
So, if you have a 10kW load, you can calculate the current draw to be 83.3A (10 8.33). If
you have a piece of equipment that draws 80A, then you can calculate the relative size of the
required power source, which is 10kW (80 8.33).

Table 1. Constants used on single-phase systems

By using this same procedure but inserting the respective single-phase voltage, you get the
following single-phase constants, as shown in Table 1.

3-Phase Calculations
For 3-phase systems, we use the following equation:
kW = (V I PF 1.732) 1,000.
Again, assuming unity PF and solving this equation for I, you get:
I = 1,000kW 1.732V.

Table 2. Constants used on 3-phase systems

Now, if you look at the 1,000 4 1.732V portion of this equation, you can see that by
inserting the respective 3-phase voltage for V and multiplying it by 1.732, you can then
divide that quantity into the 1,000 to get a specific number (or constant) you can use to
multiply kW to get the current draw of that 3-phase load at the respective 3-phase
voltage. Table 2 lists each 3-phase constant for the respective 3-phase voltage obtained
from the above calculation.

Calculating Single- and 3-Phase Parameters

Apr 1, 2008Electrical Construction and Maintenance

EMAIL
INSHARE

COMMENTS 27
Welcome to the first in a series of articles focusing on electrical calculation basics. This month, we'll discuss the
most fundamental of calculations those for current (I) and kilowatts (kW). We'll also show you how you can do
these calculations in your head, with very reasonable accuracy, through the use of constants.

You may ask, What exactly is a constant? An example of a constant with which you're very
much familiar is pi (), which is derived by dividing a circle's circumference by its diameter.
No matter what the circumference and diameter of the respective circle, their ratio is always
pi. You can use constants that apply to specific single- and 3-phase voltages to calculate
current (I) and kilowatts (kW). Let's see how to do this.

Single-Phase Calculations
Basic electrical theory tells us that for a single-phase system,
kW = (V I PF) 1,000.
For the sake of simplicity, let's assume the power factor (PF) is unity. Therefore, the above
equation becomes
kW = (V I) 1,000.
Solving for I, the equation becomes
I = 1,000kW V (Equation 1)

Now, if we look at the 1,000 V portion of this equation, you can see that by inserting the
respective single-phase voltage for V and dividing it into the 1,000, you get a specific
number (or constant) you can use to multiply kW to get the current draw of that load at
the respective voltage.
For example, the constant for the 120V calculation is 8.33 (1,000 120). Using this
constant, Equation 1 becomes
I = 8.33kW.
So, if you have a 10kW load, you can calculate the current draw to be 83.3A (10 8.33). If
you have a piece of equipment that draws 80A, then you can calculate the relative size of the
required power source, which is 10kW (80 8.33).

Table 1. Constants used on single-phase systems

By using this same procedure but inserting the respective single-phase voltage, you get the
following single-phase constants, as shown in Table 1.

3-Phase Calculations
For 3-phase systems, we use the following equation:
kW = (V I PF 1.732) 1,000.
Again, assuming unity PF and solving this equation for I, you get:
I = 1,000kW 1.732V.

Table 2. Constants used on 3-phase systems

Now, if you look at the 1,000 4 1.732V portion of this equation, you can see that by
inserting the respective 3-phase voltage for V and multiplying it by 1.732, you can then
divide that quantity into the 1,000 to get a specific number (or constant) you can use to
multiply kW to get the current draw of that 3-phase load at the respective 3-phase
voltage. Table 2 lists each 3-phase constant for the respective 3-phase voltage obtained
from the above calculation.