Re: Interest in operating 3 Phase motor with only 2 Phase available

Caveat:  My expertise is in electronics, not electric power.  However, I 
can think of a few things:
1.  There is a device called a Scott-T transformer which takes a single 
phase input (like you have, really) and turns it into a 3-phase delta or 
wye output;  efficiency should be in the 95+% range if the transformer is 
matched to the load.  But these are large and heavy devices due to the core 
size and wire size involved;  they tend to be used where only light loads 
are present.  In your college library, there ought to be some mention of 
this.  If not, let me know and I'll look into these.
2.  Static converters are really electronic devices, using high-power 
thyristors to convert a rectified DC into a 3-phase signal.  There have 
certainly been vast improvements in the power handling capabilities of 
transistors over the last ten years, but not up to what a thyristor can 
handle.  Efficiency should be somewhat lower, in the 90% range compared to 
a Scott-T. Weight should be way down due to the lack of an iron core.
3.  Motor-generators, I think, are viewed as a solution of last resort by 
almost everyone--big, heavy, inefficient.  There's also the problem of 
frequency control which the first two devices don't have, and generally 
filtering is required.

One problem with high-power electronic converters is that their efficiency 
is best when working with a square wave;  producing a sinusoidal output 
requires filter electronics, which reduce the efficiency.  I suspect that 
that is why power electronics has not made inroads into your problem.

Hope I've been of help, and good luck!