Magnetic Circuits Design

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Inductor and Transformer Design

The conditioning of power flow in power electronics system is done through the
electromagnetic elements (Inductor and Transformers).

 Leakage flux is the portion of flux that does not link both the coil.
 To achieve improvement over the air-coil, a magnetic core can be
introduced. In addition to its high permeability, the advantages of the
magnetic core over the air-core are that the magnetic path length (MPL) is
well defined
 There is a limit as to how much magnetic flux can be generated in a
magnetic material before the magnetic core goes into saturation, and the
coil reverts back to an air-core.

Hysteresis Loop (B-H Loop)


 Hysteresis loop represents energy lost in the core
 Total hysteresis loss is dependent on frequency

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Permeability
 In magnetics, permeability is the ability of a material to conduct
flux
 Permeability =

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Magnetomotive Force (mmf) and Magnetizing Force(H)
 There are two forces functions commonly encountered in magnetics
: magnetomotive force, mmf and magnetizing force ,H. The two are
related as cause and effect
 mmf=NI
 H= MPL: Magnetic path length

Air Gap
 If an air gap is included in a magnetic circuit, which is otherwise composed
of low reluctivity material like iron, almost all of the reluctance in the
circuit will be at the gap, because the reluctivity of air is much greater than
that of a magnetic material.
 Controlling the size of the air gap controls the reluctance

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Type of Air Gap
 Basically, there are two types of gapes used in the design of magnetic
components: bulk and distributed.
 Bulk gapes are maintained with materials, such as paper, Mylar or even
glass.
 There are designs where it is important to place the gap in an area to
minimize the noise that is caused by the fringing flux at the gap.
 When the gap is used as shown, then only half the thickness of the
calculated gap dimension is used in each leg of the core.

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Fringing Flux
Designing power conversion magnetics that produces minimum of fringing flux
has always been a problem.
Fringing flux can reduce the overall efficiency of the converter, by generating
eddy current that causes localized heating.
If fringing flux is not handled correctly, there will be pre-mature core saturation.
Operating at high frequency has made the engineer very much aware of what
fringing flux can do to hamper a design.
 Material Permeability

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In general, magnetic material with high permeability are sensitive to
temperature, pressure, exciting voltage and frequency. Inductance change
is directly proportional to permeability change. This change in inductance
will have an effect on the exciting current.

 Air Gaps
In transformer design a small air gap lg , inserted into magnetic path, will
lower and stabilize the effective permeability,

This will result in a tighter control of the permeability change with


temperature, and exciting voltage. Inductor designs normally require a
large air gap to handle the dc flux.

The fringing flux effect is a function of gap dimension, the shape of pole
face and the shape, size and location of the winding. Its net effect is to
Shorten the air gap.
Fringing flux decreases the total reluctance of the magnetic path and,
therefore, increases the inductance by a factor F to a value greater than
the one calculated.

 Fringing Flux, F

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Fringing flux is completely around the gap and re-enter the core in a
direction of high loss.
This area around the gap is very sensitive to metal objects, such as clamps,
brackets and banding materials.
(1) If the material ferromagnetic is place over the gap, or in close proximity
so it conducts the magnetic field, this is called “shorting the gap”.
Thereby producing higher inductance then designed and could drive the
core into saturation.
(2) If the material is metallic (such as copper or phosphor bronze), but not
ferromagnetic, it will not short the gap or change the inductance. In both
cases, if fringing flux is strong enough, it will induce eddy currents that
will cause localized heating. This is same principle used in induction
heating.

Gapped, dc Inductor Design


The fringing flux factor, F has an impact on the basic design equations. When the
engineer starts a design, he or she must determine the maximum value of Bdc and
for Bac , which will not produce magnetic saturation.
The magnetic material that has been selected will dictate the saturation flux
density.

The winding length, or the G dimension of the core, has a big influence on the
fringing flux.

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N: -is the required turns so that premature core saturation will not happen.

Fringing Flux and Coil Proximity


As the air gap increases, the fringing flux will increase. Fringing flux will figure
away from the gap by the distance of the gap.
If a coil was wound tightly around the core and encompasses the gap , the flux
generated around the magnetic wire will force the fringing flux back into the core.
The end result will not produce any fringing flux at all as shown in figure

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As the coil distance moves away from the core the fringing flux will increase until
the coil distance from the core is equal to the gap dimension.

Fringing flux, Crowding


 Flux will always take the path of highest permeability.
 The flux will traverse along the lamination until it meets its mating, I or E.
At this point, the flux will jump to the adjacent lamination and by pass the
mating point.

At low levels of excitation, the exciting current is almost square, due to the
flux talking the high permeability path by jumping to the adjacent
lamination. As the excitation increases, the adjoining lamination will
start to saturate , and the exciting current will increase and become
nonlinear. When the adjacent lamination approaches saturation, the
permeability drops. It is then the flux will go in a straight line and cross
the minute airgap.

Fringing Flux and Powder Cores


Designing high frequency converters, using low permeability powder
cores, will usually require very few turns. Low perm powder core, exhibit
fringing flux.
Powder core with distributed gap will have fringing flux that shorts the gap
and give the impression of a core with higher permeability.
Because of the fringing flux and a few turns, it is very important to wind
uniformly and in consistent manner. This winding is down to control the
fringing flux .

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