A live conductor connected to the neutral point of a system, intended to carry the unbalanced return current back to the supply transformer. In a perfectly balanced three-phase system, it carries zero current, but in single-phase or unbalanced loads, it carries the full return load. It is normally tied to earth at the source to reference the system voltage to ground.
The neutral conductor is undersized for the amount of harmonic current those drives are dumping back into the system.
Never treat a neutral as safe to touch just because it is grounded at the source; a broken neutral will rise to full phase voltage.
Also heard as
- neutral
Do not mix it up with
- Ground wire: The neutral carries normal operating return current, while the ground wire only carries fault current.
Related terms
Line conductor
A wire or cable that carries normal operating current from a power source to a load.
Lost neutral
A dangerous fault condition where the neutral return path to the supply transformer is broken.
PEN conductor
Single conductor that serves as both the neutral and the protective earth in a TN-C network.