ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Single phase VS three phase generator

Hello,

I'm about to rent an industrial place and the real estate person tells me that a 100a three phase generator generators as many watts as 3 100a single phase generator. Is that correct?

I want to put computers there and need a lot of watts to power them if that helps.

Thanks a lot for your answers.

Basically.

Generators are rated in KVA.
You will get the same amount of power regardless of how many phases you have.

What kind of computers? Do they need 3P?
If you are just talking about 1P computers, like PCs, don't forget the triplin harmonic problem when you are connecting to 3P wye. The shared neutral in the 3P feeder should be up to 2x the size of ungrounded conductors. Once you get to the single phase (2 wire) branch circuits it is not a problem

Seems the OP is in Eastern Asia somewhere. China, Korea, ?

Perhaps he’s talking about a data center?

More info please.

If these "computers" are desk tops, the power supplies will be single phase switchers, the same one we have with a different power cord. That is why they use the IEC 13 connector on the PS end. You get the right cord that machine will work just about anywhere on the planet but you still have the harmonic problem.

Why does that space have a generator anyways and not a regular connection to the power grid?

OP could plan to build a cryptocurrency mining center too. Just don't forget then, that china thinks about banning mining.

Do the PSUs in your computers have active power factor correction (APFC)? If they do, then there won't be a significant problem with harmonic distortion.

If they don't (or you can't tell for sure), then do as Greg says.