In a three-phase AC generator, three are three windings. Each winding has two terminals (start and finish). If a separate load is connected across each phase winding as shown in Figure 8.3, then each phase supplies an independent load through a pair of leads (wires). Thus, six wires will be required in this case to connect the load to generator. This will make the whole system complicated and expensive.
Fig. 8.3 Three-phases supplying power independently
In order to reduce the number of the conductors, the three-phase windings of the AC generator are suitably interconnected. The following are the two universally adopted methods of interconnecting the three phases:
- Star or wye (Y) connection
- Mesh or delta (∆)
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