History of 3-phase Electricity & Distribution

Who invented 3-phase electrical distribution? Nikola Tesla? Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky? In this video I go through the detailed history from primary sources of this important EE discovery, how it works, and why it is important.

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Citations:
Alfred, R “Aug 14, 1888: I Sing the Meter Electric” Wired Magazine (Aug 14, 2008)
Thompson, S Polyphase Electric Currents and Alternate-current Motors (1900) p. 444
“Mr. Nikola Tesla on Alternating Current Motors” The Telegraphic Journal and Electrical Review vol. xxiv (June 7, 1889) p. 648
Carlson, W Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age (2013) p.113
Tesla, N “Tesla’s Tribute to Westinghouse,” The Age of Steel LXXXVIII, no. 10 (September 1900), 9.
William Stanley “The Induction Motor” Engineering News (Oct 2, 1902) vol. XLVIII No. 14 p. 279
Frank Sprague to Sprague Executive Board (leaked to Edison) (April 29, 1890) Edison Papers Digital Edition [X120CBN]
Jonnes, J Empires of Light (2003) p. 223
Leupp, F George Westinghouse: His Life and Achievements (1919) p. 159
Skrabec, Q George Westinghouse: Gentle Genius (2007) p. 130
“Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrowolsky (1862-1919)” [in Russian] Vavilov, S People of Russian Science: Essays on Outstanding Figures of Natural Science [Люди русской науки: Очерки о выдающихся деятелях есте- ствознания и техники] (1948)
Dolivo-Dobrowosky, M "Transmission of power by rotary-phase alternate currents", Electrical Engineer (London), vol. 7, p 369, (April 10, 1891)
Thompson, S Polyphase Electric Currents (1900) p. 173
Thompson, S Elementary Lessons in Electricity and Magnetism, (1894) p. 507
Ushakov, V “Electrical Power Engineering” (2017) p. 16
Allerhand, A “The Earliest Years of Three-Phase Power” Proceedings of the IEEE vol. 108 (Jan, 2020) p. 215-6
Herausgegben vom Vorstand der Ausstellung Offizieller Bericht über die Internationale elektrotechnische Ausstellung in Frankfurt am Main, 1891 (1894) p. 324
Lightning: Volume 1 (April 28, 1892) p. 509
“The Transmission of Power at Frankfort” The Electrical Engineer (Sept 18, 1891) p. 286
Brown, C “Reasons for the Use of the Three-Phase Current in the Lauffen-Frankfort Transmission” The Electrical World (Nov 7, 1891) vol. XVIII No. 19 p. 345
Nikola Tesla patent US 382,280 “Electrical Transmission of Power” (May 1, 1888)
“Mr. Tesla’s Experiments” (April 6, 1892) Electrical Engineer vol 13-14, p. 350
Lamme, B “The Story of the Induction Motor” (March 1921) Electrical Engineering (New York) vol. XL p. 205
Tesla’s patent was co-owned by supporters Alfred Brown and Charles Peck, according to Carlson, B Tesla: Inventor of the Electric Age p. 130 “Since they had shrewdly handled the business negotiations and assumed all of the financial risk in developing the motors, Tesla gave Peck and Brown five-ninths of the proceeds from the deal while retaining four-ninths for himself”
Lamme, B Benjamin Garver Lamme, Electrical Engineer, An Autobiography (1926) p. 61
Lamme, B “The Story of the Induction Motor” (March 1921) Electrical Engineering (New York) vol. XL p. 212
Davis, L Fleet Fire: Thomas Edison and the Pioneers of the Electrical Revolution (2012)
“Westinghouse paid Tesla $216,600” “Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Westinghouse Electric” Electricity (June 30, 1897) p. 387
Gordenker, A “Japan’s incompatible power grids” Japan Times vol. 19 (July, 2011) p. 9
Dolivo-Dobrowolsky “Transmission of Power by Rotary-Phase Alternative Currents” The Electrical Engineer (April 3, 1891) p. 336

[deaniegarcia]

I am a retired EE, and never paid much attention to power systems, preferring information and computation, but you make this stuff compelling! I watch your videos often, and it, almost makes me want to go back to work! Keep up the great work!

[andyo]

I didn't know about Dolivo-Dobrovolsky's greatest inventions until today( I never heard about him either). Thanks to you Kathy now I know who really invented the most practical and efficient 3-phase AC. Dolivo-Dobrovolsky is so under rated ! 3-Wire 3-Phase !! What a genius !

[seeratlasdtyria]

Simply put, this is a better explanation of these events, than I heard in my EE Engineering classes at UCLA, LOL. Kathy, I do not know your history, but you were, imho, born to teach:) Thumbs up across the board.

[KeritechElectronics]

As a Polish electrician and electronics hacker, I'm proud of Dolivo-Dobrovolsky and absolutely delighted with this episode :)
Oh, and there are a few other important Polish inventions in electrical engineering: a FW bridge rectifier (or, as Electroboom would call it, FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER!) and an electrolytic capacitor - both invented by Karol Pollak. How would electronics look now if not for him? I guess we'd still go with the centertapped windings.

To think that most of the principles and inventions lied out by him are the mainstay of modern electrical distribution systems, though now that we've got highly efficient DC/AC converters, we may be seeing some DC power system resurgence especially in the international ultra high voltage networks, not to mention the solar installations. DC switching on the other hand, arc quenching in particular... makes me wonder if it can be easily solved using IGBTs or FETs (thyristors won't do, they stay latched until power is cut off, making them useless for this purpose).

[chrisnurczyk]

Not only do I now understand the history of this form of energy distribution, I finally have a better working understanding of the manner in which AC works in modern systems. Great job, Kathy. As a retired middle-school Natural Sciences teacher and junior college Horticultural Adjunct, it's wonderful to see someone explaining science in such a meaningful manner, using original sources. Pray, continue!

[krishnaprasadlama]

Dobrovolsky's contribution in the development of 3-wire 3-phase electricity was really an eye opener for me as I had all along thought that Tesla was the sole inventor.I had known of the contribution of Steinmetz however.

[marcosfingerhut]

Kathy, the difference you're pointing that Tesla's three phase motor needed 6 connecting wires and Dolivo´s had only 3 makes a world of difference and thanks to you I can see where these two
inventors differ and the huge Dolivo-Dobrovolsky´s breakthrough. How elegant is Dolivo´s 3 wires solution; I'm in awe !. Thank you for helping me see it so clearly !

[robs]

Thanks to your presentations Kathy, as a retired electrical engineer, I am still exited about the beginnings of the sciences and their industrial implementation.

[PorkyHontas]

Anybody notice how all of these geniuses are almost always immigrants? That's what keeps America young, vibrant and great.

[rogerw]

Fun fact:
The 18th of December 1893 the worlds first commercial 3-phase power transfer was inaugurated. The transfer line ran between Hällsjön (the source, water turbine IIRC) and Grängesberg (at the time one of the largest iron ore mines in Europe) in southern Dalarna, Sweden. The distance of the transfer was 13 kilometers and transferred up to 9300 Volt. Remains of the facilities can be seen to this day.
A testing and demonstration facility connecting Lauffen and Frankfurt in Germany had been in operation for a few years before.

[alfabsc]

I thought I knew this history. The Westinghouse+Tesla vs Edison story is very familiar to me. I had never heard of Dolivo-Dobrovolsky. Thanks for clearing up the details of how 3-phase became dominant electrical distribution system.

[macalmy]

I don't know why the YouTube algorithm sent you my way last week, but I'm glad it did. The level of detail and citation you go into is wonderful, and you're a great story teller. Too much of what gets taught in science classes about the history of science seems to be more like folklore, so it's wonderful to find someone who digs in to get the details right.

[RANDALLOLOGY]

In all my 50 years being in electronics with a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering, I never knew the information you just presented.
I'm impressed, and decided to subscribe.

[jimkillen]

I worked at a power plant for 35 years and studied the basics classes back then. At the first power plant i worked at it was very old unit . The equipment worked well but has long since been removed. Glad i ran onto this channel. I certainly watch more of your videos . I remember i think that air craft were a lot higher frequency . Thanks for the history lesson..

[AnbroBR]

As an industrial electrician for over 40 years, I routinely worked with 240 volt and 480 volt 3-phase systems. The 3-phase systems were not all the same. Some were configured as "wye" and the others were configured as "delta." To top that off, in one factory in which I worked, they used a 240 volt 3-phase system with one of the "phases" (conductors) grounded. This was called a "grounded B-phase system." Most factories do not use this system.

Excellent videos, Kathy!

[juliofoolio]

Thank you Kathy. I am so grateful for your work. There are many excellent science educators on YouTube but your thoroughness and uninhibited passion set you apart. Your videos will play a part in my child’s education.

[ephemeralvapor]

This is the best video per minute of time I've seen on the history of this subject by far - good job and thank you.

[jimprice]

Kathy - A very informative video. I love the history and reasons behind what we use today. I used to be a volunteer at the Folsom Historic Powerhouse in Folsom, CA. It was built in 1995 and we told our visitors that it was the first long distance 3-phase powerhouse in the US. It was built just a bit before the Niagara Fall powerhouse was put online. Niagara used Westinghouse 2-phase generators. I believe that GE got the power transmission contract to Buffalo and used Scott-Tee connected transformers to convert to 3-phase. It's interesting that the Folsom powerhouse has four 3-phase generators and used 12 wires to send the power 26 miles down to Sacramento. This was because the original governors were not stable enough to allowed the generators to be synchronized. The AC was converted to DC in Sacramento with M-G sets and then paralleled in order to power streetcars. The change to Lombard governors in around 1906 allowed the paralleling of the generators. Folsom used GE generators. I believe this was because the Livermore Brothers used financing by GE in order to build the powerhouse.

[aipx]

You should do a video about the frequency of the line. Motor users wanted lower frequencies, and lighting wanted higher frequencies. Various grids were from 16hz to 100hz over the years and finally settled on 60hz after WW2. Also there' a national time keeper to keep track of the number of 60hz transitions per day and run the grid a little faster or slower at night to "catch up" so our bedside clocks stay accurate. Lots of stuff about this that would be right up your alley!!

[rgmoses]

I have never said this lightly but I love you! Your channel lit a fire in my heart over a year ago by showing me that electricity isn't as complicated as it looks on the outside while still having a close to limitless amount of uses that people would believe was just a load of fiction if they didn't see it with their own eyes. Because of you I am currently halfway through my freshman year in college majoring in electrical engineering followed by big plans based on the future uses and generation of electricity