On 9 Jan 2006 18:28:27 -0800, jim rozen
wrote:

BTW -
how would you know if it was functioning as an induction generator ? If
the load motor was running at greater than its normal synchronous speed -
it'd be generating, right??

Generating on the third leg. I think the idea would be to make a
rotary converter that somehow would have better balance or lower
impedance by deliberatly driving the rotor above synchronous speed.

Jim

I think it'd be generating on all three phases; there would be a
component of current in the line-connected phase that flows against
the applied voltage, feeding power back into the mains. This
current component would be in quadrature with the magnetizing current
it draw from the mains.

I think it would have better balance because the sign or direction of
the IZ drop wrt the emf would be the same in all three phases. This
is not the case in a self-excited idler.