Increasing power requirements for racks are making the use of three-phase power at the rack level compelling.
- With single-phase power, at any given time the voltage across the hot and neutral conductors can be anywhere between its peak (maximum) and zero. Electrical conductors must be large to meet high amperage requirements.
- Three-phase power uses three cycles that are 120 degrees out of phase, which never allows the voltage to drop to zero. The more consistent voltage derived from the three hot conductors results in smoother current flow and allows small-gauge conductors to be used to distribute the same amount of AC power. As a result, the load balancing and increased power handling capabilities of three-phase distribution can result in more efficient and less costly installations that require fewer AC cables and PDUs.