Fast and Accurate Thermal Modeling of Magnetic Components by FEA-Based Homogenization

Resumen

The use of 3D thermal simulations of magnetic components for power converters is limited to validation of final designs due to time consumption. A two-step homogenization is proposed to simplify them, while keeping good accuracy. The required equations and some guidelines are described in this paper to apply it to solid round wire, litz wire or foil wound magnetic components. Considerations to extend its use to transformers, including the use of interleaving techniques and insulating tape are explained. This method can reduce the running time of 3D simulations (seven times faster than usual simulations) while the convergence is assured even for complex structures or cases with litz wire. Finally, the proposed method is experimentally validated with DC and AC excitation.