Per-Unit Hysteresis and Eddy Loss Method Based on 3D Finite Elements for Non-Symmetric Toroidal Magnetic

Abstract

Several main methodologies are used to estimate the core power loss (CPL) in magnetic components. One group is based in the Steinmetz equation (The modified one, the generalized one and the natural equations are the principals). Another one is the separation of losses between hysteresis, eddy current and excess losses. The third group is based mathematical-empirical hysteresis models and the last one is based on the magnetization process. These approaches need a prior test or analysis to calculate the CPL. Tests are usually expensive, or the number of needed tests is excessive for the component design process. 2D analyses are not enough for some magnetic components due to their lack of symmetries. Toroidal core components are ones of the most common components in transformers and power converters. They do not have symmetries in the magnetic field distribution and only 3D models are satisfactory to take into account all the effects and phenomena. An extensive study of 3D model finite element analysis was developed to determine the main losses in magnetic components core, the hysteresis and eddy current losses. A new methodology is presented, per-unit CPL (considering only Hysteresis and Eddy Current Losses) that permits analyzing the impact of the involved factors separately. The proposed per-unit CPL allows the definition of a new equation for determining hysteresis and eddy current losses using only the geometrical and material parameters (core and coils) used to estimate the total CPL.

Keywords

• Eddy current
• Hysteresis loss
• core power loss
• 3D modeling
• finite element analysis