Can a three phase electrical appliance be converted to work on a 220 volt plug outlet?

Answer 1

the simple answer is no. you need 3 phase power, and that is not provided by the normal 220 volt outlet, which is single phase power. you would need a rotary converter (3 phase generator set driven by a single phase motor). these converters are lossy so you will need to size the single phase circuit for about 25% more power delivery.

Answer 2

You don't mention the "appliance". One thing you need to consider is the power. If its higher than the capacity of the plug then that's a simple no.

If it is a motor, you could change the motor for single phase.

There are inverters (variable speed drive) that take single phase in and give 3 phase out you could use on a motor but may need to be careful on non inductive loads.

Most solutions are going to be too expensive.

You may want to ask your question again with more details on it.

PS don't let anyone tell you to use a capacitor to generate the phase shift for a motor. You will not get the required torque

Answer 3

One option would be to replace the motor. I am told there is such an animal as a three phase converter, but one would likely be more expensive than it is worth. Trying to use your three phase appliance on a single phase system is probably not worth the effort. Easier to get a new appliance.

Note: Just read Nigel's answer. He is absolutely correct. I was assuming since you were talking about three phase power, there must be motors involved. That "ain't" necessarily so. More info would be helpful.

Good Luck!
-jtd

Answer 4

Maybe; the motor(s) would need to be replaced. Most of the other systems may already be single phase or DC; which would simplify the task.

You need to provide specific information about the appliance to receive a useful answer.