MICROCONTROLLER-BASED AUTOMATIC THREE-PHASE LOAD BALANCING SYSTEM

Abstract

Unbalanced load distribution in a three-phase system causes faults and eventual breakdown of the distribution system due to damage to the critical components such as the distribution transformer. To mitigate the effects of unbalanced load distribution, a microcontroller-based automatic three-phase load balancing system was designed and simulated in this paper. The system performs measurement, monitoring, protection, and control functions to balance the load and avoid power loss and damage to the distribution transformer. The system design and simulation were carried out using Proteus 8 Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. The simulation results showed satisfactory performance of the system and demonstrated that the system was able to balance the load distribution and indicate when the system is critically unbalanced or well-balanced on the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit. The use of microcontroller-based load balancing systems is recommended to improve the performance and longevity of three-phase distribution systems.

This study presents the design and simulation of an automatic three-phase load-balancing system. Unbalanced load distribution in three-phase systems can cause damage to distribution transformers and result in power loss. To address this issue, a microcontroller-based system was designed and simulated to balance the load on a three-phase distribution network. The system uses voltage and current sensors to measure loads on each phase and control the switching of loads to balance the system. In the event of short-circuits, Undervoltage or overvoltage, the system disconnects the loads to prevent further damage. The system includes a dsPIC33FJ32MC202 microcontroller, switching relays, voltage and current sensors, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) unit. The LCDs' real-time phase power, load percentage, and unbalance index of the distribution system. Results showed that the system performs satisfactorily and can be used to improve energy efficiency and prevent damage in three-phase distribution systems.