Power Circuit of Star Delta Starter

The main circuit breaker serves as the main power supply switch that supplies
electricity to the power circuit.
The main contactor connects the reference source voltage R, Y, B to the primary
terminal of the motor U1, V1, W1.
In operation, the Main Contactor (KM3) and the Star Contactor (KM1) are closed
initially, and then after a period of time, the star contactor is opened, and then the
delta contactor (KM2) is closed. The control of the contactors is by the timer (K1T)
built into the starter. The Star and Delta are electrically interlocked and preferably
mechanically interlocked as well.
In effect, there are four states:
The star contactor serves to initially short the secondary terminal of the motor U2, V2,
W2 for the start sequence during the initial run of the motor from standstill. This
provides one third of DOL current to the motor, thus reducing the high inrush current
inherent with large capacity motors at startup.
Controlling the interchanging star connection and delta connection of an AC induction
motor is achieved by means of a star delta or wye delta control circuit. The control
circuit consists of push button switches, auxiliary contacts and a timer.

ontrol Circuit of Star-Delta Starter (Open

Transition)

Scheme Control
Circuit of Star-Delta Starter (Open Transition)
The ON push button starts the circuit by initially energizing Star Contactor Coil (KM1)
of star circuit and Timer Coil (KT) circuit. When Star Contactor Coil (KM1) energized,
Star Main and Auxiliary contactor change its position from NO to NC.
When Star Auxiliary Contactor (1) (which is placed on Main Contactor coil circuit )
become NO to NC its complete The Circuit of Main contactor Coil (KM3) so Main
Contactor Coil energized and Main Contactors Main and Auxiliary Contactor Change
its Position from NO to NC. This sequence happens in a friction of time.
After pushing the ON push button switch, the auxiliary contact of the main contactor
coil (2) which is connected in parallel across the ON push button will become NO to

NC, thereby providing a latch to hold the main contactor coil activated which eventually
maintains the control circuit active even after releasing the ON push button switch.
When Star Main Contactor (KM1) close its connect Motor connects on STAR and its
connected in STAR until Time Delay Auxiliary contact KT (3) become NC to NO.
Once the time delay is reached its specified Time, the timers auxiliary contacts (KT)
(3) in Star Coil circuit will change its position from NC to NO and at the Same Time
Auxiliary contactor (KT) in Delta Coil Circuit(4) change its Position from NO To NC so
Delta coil energized and Delta Main Contactor becomes NO To NC. Now Motor
terminal connection change from star to delta connection.
A normally close auxiliary contact from both star and delta contactors (5&6)are also
placed opposite of both star and delta contactor coils, these interlock contacts serves
as safety switches to prevent simultaneous activation of both star and delta contactor
coils, so that one cannot be activated without the other deactivated first. Thus, the
delta contactor coil cannot be active when the star contactor coil is active, and
similarly, the star contactor coil cannot also be active while the delta contactor coil is
active.
The control circuit above also provides two interrupting contacts to shutdown the
motor. The OFFpush button switch break the control circuit and the motor when
necessary. The thermal overload contact is a protective device which automatically
opens the STOP Control circuit in case when motor overload current is detected by the
thermal overload relay, this is to prevent burning of the motor in case of excessive load
beyond the rated capacity of the motor is detected by the thermal overload relay.
At some point during starting it is necessary to change from a star connected winding
to a delta connected winding. Power and control circuits can be arranged to this in one
of two ways open transition or closed transition.

What is Open or Closed Transition Starting

1. Open Transition Starters
Discuss mention above is called open transition switching because there is an open
state between the star state and the delta state.
In open transition the power is disconnected from the motor while the winding are
reconfigured via external switching.
When a motor is driven by the supply, either at full speed or at part speed, there is a
rotating magnetic field in the stator. This field is rotating at line frequency. The flux
from the stator field induces a current in the rotor and this in turn results in a rotor
magnetic field.
When the motor is disconnected from the supply (open transition) there is a spinning
rotor within the stator and the rotor has a magnetic field. Due to the low impedance of
the rotor circuit, the time constant is quite long and the action of the spinning rotor field
within the stator is that of a generator which generates voltage at a frequency
determined by the speed of the rotor.
When the motor is reconnected to the supply, it is reclosing onto an unsynchronized generator
and this result in a very high current and torque transient. The magnitude of the
transient is dependent on the phase relationship between the generated voltage and
the line voltage at the point of closure can be much higher than DOL current and torque
and can result in electrical and mechanical damage.

Open transition starting is the easiest to implement in terms or cost and circuitry and if
the timing of the changeover is good, this method can work well. In practice though it
is difficult to set the necessary timing to operate correctly and
disconnection/reconnection of the supply can cause significant voltage/current
transients.
In open transition there are four states:
1.

OFF State: All Contactors are open.

2.

Star State: The Main [KM3] and the Star [KM1] contactors are closed and the delta
[KM2] contactor is open. The motor is connected in star and will produce one third of
DOL torque at one third of DOL current.

3.

Open State: This type of operation is called open transition switching because there is
an open state between the star state and the delta state. The Main contractor is closed
and the Delta and Star contactors are open. There is voltage on one end of the motor
windings, but the other end is open so no current can flow. The motor has a spinning
rotor and behaves like a generator.

4.

Delta State: The Main and the Delta contactors are closed. The Star contactor is open.
The motor is connected to full line voltage and full power and torque are available

2. Closed Transition Star/Delta Starter

There is a technique to reduce the magnitude of the switching transients. This requires
the use of a fourth contactor and a set of three resistors. The resistors must be sized
such that considerable current is able to flow in the motor windings while they are in
circuit.
The auxiliary contactor and resistors are connected across the delta contactor. In
operation, just before the star contactor opens, the auxiliary contactor closes resulting
in current flow via the resistors into the star connection. Once the star contactor
opens, current is able to flow round through the motor windings to the supply via the
resistors. These resistors are then shorted by the delta contactor.
If the resistance of the resistors is too high, they will not swamp the voltage generated
by the motor and will serve no purpose.
In closed transition the power is maintained to the motor at all time.

This is achieved by introducing resistors to take up the current flow during the winding
changeover. A fourth contractor is required to place the resistor in circuit before
opening the star contactor and then removing the resistors once the delta contactor is
closed.

These resistors need to be sized to carry the motor current. In addition to requiring
more switching devices, the control circuit is more complicated due to the need to
carry out resistor switching
In close transition there are four states:
1.

OFF State. All Contactors are open

2.

Star State. The Main [KM3] and the Star [KM1] contactors are closed and the delta
[KM2] contactor is open. The motor is connected in star and will produce one third of
DOL torque at one third of DOL current.

3.

Star Transition State. The motor is connected in star and the resistors are connected
across the delta contactor via the aux [KM4] contactor.

4.

Closed Transition State. The Main [KM3] contactor is closed and the Delta [KM2] and
Star [KM1] contactors are open. Current flows through the motor windings and the
transition resistors via KM4.

5.

Delta State. The Main and the Delta contactors are closed. The transition resistors are
shorted out. The Star contactor is open. The motor is connected to full line voltage and
full power and torque are available.

Effect of Transient in Starter (Open Transient

starter)
It is Important the pause between star contactor switch off and Delta contactor switch
is on correct. This is because Star contactor must be reliably disconnected before
Delta contactor is activated. It is also important that the switch over pause is not too
long.
For 415v Star Connection voltage is effectively reduced to 58% or 240v. The
equivalent of 33% that is obtained with Direct Online (DOL) starting.
If Star connection has sufficient torque to run up to 75% or %80 of full load speed,
then the motor can be connected in Delta mode.

When connected to Delta configuration the phase voltage increases by a ratio of V3 or

173%. The phase currents increase by the same ratio. The line current increases three
times its value in star connection.
During transition period of switchover the motor must be free running with little
deceleration. While this is happening Coasting it may generate a voltage of its own,
and on connection to the supply this voltage can randomly add to or subtract from the
applied line voltage. This is known as transient current. Only lasting a few milliseconds
it causes voltage surges and spikes. Known as a changeover transient.

http://electrical-engineering-portal.com/star-delta-motor-starter

Using Star-Delta Motor Control (With Circuit Diagrams)

How Star-Delta Motor Control Works
The most common motor control method for reducing the induction current needed to start a motor
in any industrial application is the star-delta connection. A star-delta motor connection normally
incorporates magnetic contactors, a timer, and a thermal overload relay.
Due to the low cost and high availability of these electromechanical devices, the star-delta
connection method is still, by far, the most widely used electrical control in industrial applications for
reducing the start-up current of three-phase induction motors.
The typical star-delta control circuit wiring diagram in the CAD drawing below will help you follow the
explanation.

Star-Delta Motor Control Circuit

Source: CAD drawing by ianjonas

The star-delta control circuit illustrated above actuates magnetic contactors which interchangeably
execute star-delta motor connections. Pushing the ON switch causes the motor to start running from
the star connection to the delta connection.
The motor's wiring terminal is initially connected in a star configuration. Closing the ON push-button
switch actuates the main magnetic contactor, the star contactor, and the timer, while leaving only the
delta contactor open or deactivated until the timer reaches a preset time.
Pay special attention to this: once you release your finger from the ON push-button switch, the
interlocking contact of the main contactor (which is connected in parallel to the ON push-button
switch) will take over the role of the ON switch in providing a closed contact and maintaining a
complete circuit.
After reaching the specified preset time period, the timer will cause the associated timer contacts in
the circuit to change condition to the opposite of their normal state. The normally closed timer
contact will change from closed to open, releasing the star contactor coil, while the normally open
timer contact will close, activating the delta contactor coil. This change provides full voltage to the
motor to achieve the required full power for the load.

Star Delta Motor Control Power Circuit | Source: CAD drawing by ianjonas

Illustrated on the star-delta circuit diagram above, the three-phase line voltage L1, L2, L3 is supplied
from the main circuit breaker down to the main magnetic contactor and finally to the three primary
terminals of the motor coils U1, V1, W1. Meanwhile, the closing of the star contactor shorts the other
three secondary terminals of the motor terminals U2, V2, W2.
The control circuit of the star-delta motor controller is specifically configured to produce the
operational transfer sequence that switches the motor terminal from star connection to delta
connection.
The main magnetic contactor is kept energized as long as the motor is running, only interchanging
the activation between the star contactor and the delta contactor. Once the timer reaches the
specified time, it activates the delta contactor to close its contact while at the same time
disconnecting the star contactor. This second sequence eventually disconnects the motor terminals
from their previous state of star connection and reconfigures them into a delta connection,
connecting the reference voltage L1 to the motor terminals U1 and V2, reference voltage L2 to motor
terminals V1 and W2, and reference voltage L3 to motor terminals W1 and U2.

Star-Delta Motor Wiring Configuration

Star Delta Motor Internal Winding Terminal

Star Connected Motor Internal Winding Terminal

Delta Connected Motor Internal Winding Terminal

Safety Interlock Switches

Observe carefully from the control circuit diagram the presence of interlocking contacts placed
before the coils of both the star contactor and the delta contactor. These interlock switches serve as
safety features so that one contactor cannot actuate without the other one deactivated.
Simultaneous activation of both star and delta contactors could destroy the motor. The delta
contactor will not activate unless the star contactor is deactivated, and conversely, the star contactor
will not activate unless the delta contactor is deactivated.
At any while the motor is running, the motor's control circuit can easily be disconnected by pressing
the OFF push button switch. This deactivates all three magnetic contactor units, immediately
removing the supply voltage to the motor. The motor will slow down until its rotating inertia runs out
and it comes to a full standstill.
Another disconnecting contact connected in the control circuit is the thermal overload relay. This
automatic contact will disconnect the circuit upon detection of a motor overload. This means that
when the load carried by the motor exceeds its rated capacity, the high current in the motor heats up
the metallic plates in the thermal overload relay, which mechanically releases its contact to open the
motor's control circuit.

Color

Significant
figures

Temp.
Multiplier

Tolerance

Coefficient
(ppm/K)

Black

100

250

Brown

101

1%

100

Red

102

2%

50

Orange

103

15

Yellow

104

(5%)

25

Green

105

0.5%

20

Blue

106

0.25%

10

Violet

107

0.1%

Gray

108

White

109

Gold

101

5%

Silver

102

10%

None

20%

1.

(10%)

Any temperature coefficient not assigned its own letter shall be marked "Z", and the
coefficient found in other documentation.

2.

0.05%

For more information, see EN 60062.

3.

Yellow and Gray are used in high-voltage resistors to avoid metal particles in the
lacquer.[3]

https://physics.ucsd.edu/neurophysics/courses/phy
sics_120/resistorcharts.pdf