What should we know when designing an inductor.

Basic Methodology

Design of an inductor involves

Getting the specification Selection of core material Selection of Core geometry and the size

Permeability and the no of turns are then arrived at after computing the core loss and copper loss and choosing the right flux density to keep the total loss to be minimum.

Basic inputs needed

The basic inputs needed while designing an inductance are:

Inductance value at the maximum current Inductance value at No load Maximum ripple current Frequency of the ripple current Maximum loss allowed Inductor stability and tolerance Operating temperature range Size

Core Material

First decision is regarding the core material to be chosen. Choices available are:

1) Ferrite (many types available) 2) Molybdenum Powder Permalloy (MPP) 3) High Flux cores and Kool mu from Magnetics 3) Iron Powder 4) Metglas

Core Material

Ferrite is chosen when the frequency of operation is high and when the ripple current in the inductor is more than 60 % of the average current as it has the lowest loss at high frequency of operation.

Example : Flyback transformer inductor and PFC inductor (especially the ones operating in discontinuous conduction mode).

MPP has a better saturation flux density, very good stability with age and temperature and moderate losses, but is costlier . Iron powder and Metglas cores have still better flux density but with higher losses.

Comparison of the different Materials

Perm Saturation eabilit Material Air gap Type Flux Density y 2000 5000 Ferrite Bulk 3 -5 KG 14 MPP Distributed 7 KG 550 14 Kool Distributed 11 KG 160 Iron Powder Distributed 10 14 KG 14-300 Metglas, Microlite 100 Distributed 15.6 KG 100 Metglas, Powerlite C Bulk 15.6 KG 2500 Core loss (mW/g) @ 100 Khz, 1 KG 65 50 500 120 680 140 140

Core Material

From the Table above, a wide variety of core material are available for a given application. Ferrite excels in cost and ac Power loss, but has a very low Saturation Flux density. MPP has a comparable loss at =60. This is costlier, but has a stable inductance . KOOL M has advantage for higher dc current. Metglas has many technical advantages, but are cost effective for higher powers only. Iron Powder has the highest loss, but is the most economical one.

How to choose the material.

The decision on how to choose the material is somewhat difficult. The general guideline is as below:

When cost is important, Iron Powder is good especially for Power lower than 100 W operating below 100 KHz Go for Ferrite when the ripple current and operating frequency are high. For size critical applications Kool M may be used for applications demanding lower ripple current and MPP where the ripple current is larger. For higher powers, Metglas is a better option.

How to choose the material.

A typical example inductor has been designed using various core materials. The power point files giving detail for each type of material has been given below:
Ferrite - Inductor Design Ferrite.ppt Iron Powder- Inductor Design - Iron Powder.ppt Metglas - Inductor Design Metglas.ppt MPP - Inductor Design MPP.ppt Kindly follow the links above to get an idea of design details about each material.

Example Spec.

Specification:

Inductance at 5 A Inductance at No Load Operating Frequency RMS current Maximum current Ripple current Cost Efficiency

= 50 uH. = Not critical. = 200 Khz =4A = 6 A. = 4 A p-p. = Critical. = Critical.

Software and literature

I have attached all relevant files along with. The executable files could not be sent through g-mail. Please get them from the websites. Links are given below:

http://www.metglas.com http://www.micrometals.com

Other Materials: Kool and Sendust

Sendust is a magnetic metal powder that was invented at Tohoku Imperial University in Sendai, Japan as an alternative to pemalloy for telephone networks. Sendust composition is typically 85% Iron, 9% Silicon and 6% Aluminium. The powder is sintered into cores to manufacture inductors. Sendust cores have high permeability, low loss, and good temperature stability. Kool is the equivalent core from Magnetics Inc who is the pioneer in MPP.

Summary

Wide range of core material are available. Ferrite is used when I is large. Iron powder is the lowest cost solution. Metglas is attractive at higher powers and frequencies. MPP is chosen when stability and efficiency are both important. Kool M (Sendust) and High Flux cores are used where stability combined with moderate efficiency is needed.