Thermal analysis of a high‐energy density pre‐biased choke

Abstract

Purpose

The main limit of an electromagnetic design lies in its thermal performance. Accurate prediction of the temperature within a new device is therefore very desirable. The purpose of this paper is to present an accurate method of predicting temperature that has been applied for design of a high‐energy density choke.

Design/methodology/approach

The thermal analysis has been carried out using initially a two‐dimensional (2D) finite element method (FEM) and then a thermal lumped parameter network. The heat flow within the network was informed from the 2D FEM analysis.

Findings

The presented lumped parameter thermal model of the high‐energy density choke has been experimentally validated and shows good agreement with the test data. The high‐energy density equal to 0.49 J/kg is demonstrated as a result of the improved thermal management and permanent magnet biasing.

Practical implications

The results show a 1.75 increase of the energy density for the new choke design as compared with more conventional design. The low weight and volume of such components are desirable in many applications including automotive and aerospace.

Originality/value

The presented method allows for fast temperature predictions that can be used in design and optimisation of high‐energy density inductors.

Citation

Wrobel, R., McNeill, N. and Mellor, P.H. (2010), "Thermal analysis of a high‐energy density pre‐biased choke", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 1276-1284. https://doi.org/10.1108/03321641011061489