TUTORIAL Inductor Database in the Thermal Module October 2016 1
A typical inductor consists of three main parts: core, bobbin (also called coil former), and winding, as shown below. To construct an inductor in the Thermal Module, three databases are used: core material database, core database, and winding database. Bobbin or Coil Former Core This tutorial describes how these databases are defined. Core Material Database: The core material database requires the following information: - Manufacturer: Name of the manufacturer (e.g. Ferroxcube) - Type: Material type (e.g. Ferrite) - Material: Material name (e.g. 3F3, 3C90) - mur: Relative permeability µ r of the material at 25 o C - Ploss vs. Bpk: Graph of power loss Ploss vs. peak flux density Bpk - Ploss vs. Tc: Graph of power loss Ploss vs. core temperature Tc All the information can be obtained from the manufacturer datasheet. For example, for Ferroxcube material 3C90, the value µ r can be obtained from Page 84 of the Ferroxcube datasheet, and the graphs Ploss vs. Bpk and Ploss vs. Tc can be obtained from Page 85 of the datasheet, as shown below (highlighted in the red boxes). µ r 2
To enter this material into the core material database, in PSIM, launch the Device Database Editor from the Utilities menu. In the Device Database Editor, select Device >> Edit Core Material Database. On the dialog, click on New, and enter the following: - Manufacturer: Ferroxcube - Type: Ferrite - Material: 3C90 - mur: 2300 Click on Add to list to add the new material to the list on the left. Then click on the Edit button next to Ploss vs. Bpk to capture all the four curves of Ploss vs. Bpk. For the graph Ploss vs. Tc, capture the middle curve that corresponds to frequency of 200kHz and Bpk of 100mT. Use the same procedure as described in Section 4.10.6 of the PSIM User Manual to capture the curves. The database editor dialog will appear as follows: 3
Core Database: The core database defines the core and bobbin type and size. It requires the following information: - Manufacturer: Name of the core and bobbin manufacturer (e.g. Ferroxcube) - Type: Core type (e.g. EE, RM) - Model: Core model (e.g. EE42/21/15, RM8) - Column Type: Shape of the center column. It can be: 0 for round, or 1 for rectangular. - Shape Type: Shape of the core. It can be: 0 for Type A, 1 for Type B; and 2 for Other Type. - Material: Supported materials by this core (i.e. 3F3, 3C90, etc.) - Ae: Effective area, in mm 2 - Ve: Effective volume, in mm 3 - Le: Effective length, in mm - N_col: Number of column of the core - Diameter1: Bobbin diameter of a round core, in mm - Diameter2: Bobbin diameter of a round core, in mm - Diameter3: Bobbin diameter of a round core, in mm - Height1: Bobbin height H1, in mm - Height2: Bobbin height H2, in mm - Width1: Bobbin width of a rectangular core, in mm - Width2: Bobbin width of a rectangular core, in mm - Width3: Bobbin width of a rectangular core, in mm - Depth1: Bobbin depth of a rectangular core, in mm - Depth2: Bobbin depth of a rectangular core, in mm - Depth3: Bobbin depth of a rectangular core, in mm - CoH1: Core Height 1, in mm - CoH2: Core Height 2, in mm - CoW1: Core Width 1 of a Type A core, in mm - CoW2: Core Width 2 of a Type A core, in mm - CoD: Core depth of a Type A core, in mm - CoDi1: Core diameter of a Type B core, in mm - CoE1: Core space of a Type B core, in mm - Clip Vertical: Percentage of the clip area in the vertical direction - Clip Horizontal: Percentage of the clip area in the horizontal direction Note that, depending on the type of the cores, not all the parameters are required. The effective area, volume, and length are read directly from the datasheet. For Ferroxcube s E core E42/21/15, for example, the values are marked in the red box below: 4
Bobbin Dimension: In general, the column of a core can be either round or rectangular. The core bobbins are shown below. The required parameters are heights, widths, and depths for rectangular cores, and heights and diameters for round cores. Depth3 Depth2 Rectangular Leg Core Depth1 Height1 Height2 Width3 Width2 Height2 Height1 Width1 Round Leg Core Diameter3 Diameter1 Diameter2 The required dimensions of the bobbin are labelled on the diagram. Rectangular leg cores include: E and EFD. Round leg cores include: EC, EP, EQ, P, and RM. Core Dimension: The shape of a core can be Type A, B, or Other type. The required parameters of Type A and B are marked in the diagram below. 5
Type A Type B CoH1 CoH2 CoH1 CoH2 CoW1 CoW2 CoE1 CoDi1 CoD Below are examples of different core bobbins and their dimensions for the core database: E Core 1: E42/21/15: Height1 = 26.2 Height2 = 28 Width1 = 15.7 Width2 = 17.9 Width3 = 34 Depth1 = 12.6 Depth2 = 14.6 Depth3 = 29 E Core 2: E5.3/2.7/2: Height1 = 2.6 Height2 = 3.7 Width1 = 2.15 Width2 = 2.9 Width3 = 4.7 Depth1 = 1.5 Depth2 = 2.3 Depth3 = 3.6 6
E Core 3: E13/7/4: Height1 = 7.1 Height2 = 8.5 Width1 = 3.9 Width2 = 5.2 Width3 = 8.7 Depth1 = 3.9 Depth2 = 5.2 Depth3 = 9.6 E Core 4: E20/10/5: Height1 = 10.8 Height2 = 12.6 Width1 = 5.3 Width2 = 7 Width3 = 12.7 Depth1 = 5.3 Depth2 = 7 Depth3 = 12.7 EFD Core: EFD15/8/5: Height1 = 9.15 Height2 = 10.4 Width1 = 5.5 Width2 = 6.65 Width3 = 10.55 Depth1 = 2.6 Depth2 = 3.7 Depth3 = 7.5 EC Core: EC35: Height1 = 21.5 Height2 = 30.5 Diameter1 = 9.85 Diameter2 = 12.2 Diameter3 = 21.9 7
EP Core: EP7: Height1 = 3.65 Height2 = 4.85 Diameter1 = 3.5 Diameter2 = 4.4 Diameter3 = 7 Height1 = 4.85 0.6*2 = 3.65 EQ Core: EQ30: Height1 = 8.4 Height2 = 10 Diameter1 = 11.3 Diameter2 = 12.9 Diameter3 = 25.6 RM Core 1: RM5/I: Height1 = 4.7 Height2 = 6.1 Diameter1 = 5 Diameter2 = 5.9 Diameter3 = 10.1 RM Core 2: RM6S: Height1 = 6.26 Height2 = 7.85 Diameter1 = 6.5 Diameter2 = 7.45 Diameter3 = 12.3 8
P Core 1: P9/5: Height1 = 2.7 Height2 = 3.5 Diameter1 = 4 Diameter2 = 4.78 Diameter3 = 7.35 P Core 2: P18/11: Height1 = 6 Height2 = 7 Diameter1 = 7.7 Diameter2 = 8.7 Diameter3 = 14.8 Height1 = 7 0.5*2 = 6 PT Core: PT14/8: Height1 = 4.06 Height2 = 5.51 Diameter1 = 6.15 Diameter2 = 7.16 Diameter3 = 11.53 PQ Core: PQ20/16: Height1 = 7.82 Height2 = 9.8 Diameter1 = 9 Diameter2 = 10.8 Diameter3 = 17.35 9
Below are examples of different cores and their dimensions for the core database: E Core: E42/21/15: CoH1 = 14.8*2 = 29.6 CoH2 = 21*2 = 42 CoW1 = 29.5 CoW2 = 43 CoD = 15.2 EFD Core: EFD10/5/3: CoH1 = 3.75*2 = 7.5 CoH2 = 5.2*2 = 10.4 CoW1 = 7.65 CoW2 = 10.5 CoD = 2.7 EC Core: EC35: CoH1 = 12.3*2 = 24.6 CoH2 = 17.3*2 = 34.6 CoW1 = 22.75 CoW2 = 35.3 CoD = 9.5 10
EP Core: EP7: CoH2 = 7.5 CoW2 = 9.4 CoD = 6.5 EQ Core: EQ13: CoH1 = 1.75*2 = 3.5 CoH2 = 2.85*2 = 5.7 CoW1 = 9.05 CoW2 = 12.8 CoD = 8.7 RM Core: RM4: CoH1 = 7 CoH2 = 10.4 CoW1 = 5.8 CoW2 = 11 CoD = 4.6 11
P Core (Type B): Inductor Database in the Thermal Module P9/5: CoH1 = 3.6 CoH2 = 5.4 CoDi1 = 9.3 CoE1 = 2 PT Core (Type B): PT14/8: CoH1 = 5.86 CoH2 = 8.3 CoDi1 = 14.05 CoE1 = 3.3 PQ Core: PQ20/16: CoH1 = 10.3 CoH2 = 16.2 CoW1 = 12 CoW2 = 21.3 CoD = 14 12
Winding Database: The winding database defines the wire type and dimensions for the winding. It requires the following information: - Type: Type of wire. It can be Round, Strip (rectangular), and Litz wire. - Model: Model name of the wire (e.g. AWG18) - Inner Diameter: Inner diameter of the wire (for the Round wire) or wire bundle (for the Litz wire), in mm - Outer Diameter (1 layer): Outer diameter of the round wire with 1 layer insulation, or outer diameter of the Litz wire bundle with 1 silk layer isolation, in mm - Outer Diameter (2 layer2): Outer diameter of the round wire with 2 layer insulation, or outer diameter of the Litz wire bundle with 2 silk layer isolation, in mm - Length: Length of the Strip wire - Width: Width of the Strip wire - Insulation Thickness: Insulation thickness of the Strip wire - Diameter Single Wire: Outer diameter of a single Litz wire - Wire Number: Number of wires in one Litz wire bundle - Wire Bundles: Number of wire bundle The picture below shows these three types of wires: Round Strip Litz Their dimensions are defined as below: Outer Diameter Inner Diameter Isolation Thickness Width Length Silk Layer Wire Bundle Outer Diameter Inner Diameter The following are examples of the winding definition. For an AWG18 round wire: - Type: Round - Model: AWG18 - Inner Diameter: 1.024 - Outer Diameter (1 layer): 1.0726 - Outer Diameter (2 layers): 1.1243 13
For a strip wire with a length of 1.2mm, width of 2mm, and isolation thickness of 0.05mm: - Type: Strip - Model: ST_1.2_2 - Length: 1.2 - Width: 2 - Isolation Thickness: 0.05 For a Litz wire with: single wire diameter 0.04mm, 12 wires per bundle, 1 bundle, wire bundle inner diameter 0.208mm, wire bundle outer diameter 0.243 (1 layer) and 0.278mm (2 layers): - Type: Litz - Model: 1x12x0.04 - Inner Diameter: 0.208 - Outer Diameter (1 layer): 0.243 - Outer Diameter (2 layers): 0.278 - Diameter Single Wire: 0.04 - Wire Number: 12 - Wire Bundle: 1 14