Electronic – How is Line and Phase Voltage the same for a Delta connected system

deltapowerpower-engineeringthree phasetransmission line

I am having a little bit of confusion for some reason understanding how the phase and line voltage can be the same for a delta connected system, i understand why the current is different for the phase and line current (since there are 2 paths for the line current to go through etc and hence it is larger then the phase currents).

All i have found is pages, youtube videos etc mainly just saying it is equal to the phase voltage, nothing specifically saying why. I understand why no neutral connection is needed as well (since the sum of the voltages etc is 0).

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Essentially what i am asking is how/why are the line voltages and phase voltages the same?

Is it due to the fact that they are 120 degrees out of phase? Hence say a 3 phase balanced source of 120 V was connected to a delta system, how is VRY=120V when Y is at 120V peak? If Y = +120 V peak, then wouldn't R be 0V? However it is not is it?

To get VYR to be a difference of 120 V, what does VR and VY equal?

I guess i do not get how say point R can be essentially 2 different voltages for YR and then RB.

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Best Answer

Voltage, by definition, is the potential difference in charge between two points.

In your image, Point R, by itself, does not have a voltage because it is only one point. Point R with respect to Y (RY = two points) does. Point R with respect to B (RB = two points) does as well. Point R itself can be apart of more than one voltage simply because you require two points to determine a voltage. In a delta system, the two points required to measure a line voltage also happen to be the same two points connected across the phase.

I think your confusion may come from being familiar with wye systems. Don't let the architecture fool you though! In the image below, Point A has no voltage on its own. The phase voltage is still from Point A to Neutral (AN). In the case of the wye, the line voltage is between points A and B (AB).

Wye vs. Delta