Very tightly controlled, gradual saturation characteristics are required in magnetic amplifiers that were once heavily used in naval gun control applications but which are now pretty much obsolete, I believe. Abrupt core saturation is a desirable characteristic in, for example, timing circuits, blocking oscillators, or self-switching power inverters but very undesirable in signal transformers. The designer will select a core material with properties appropriate for his application. Saturation can occur gradually or suddenly depending upon the properties of the core material. Since there are no more domains available to be forced into alignment with the flux lines, inductive reactance disappears, current is no longer opposed by inductive reactance, and current abruptly spikes upward until limited by the DC resistance of the conductor in the winding and by external circuit conditions. At some point, however, all or most domains have been brought into alignment with the flux lines and a further increase in volt*time product cannot cause a further increase in the number of aligned domains. For a given core material and winding configuration, the larger the core, the greater the number of domains available to be aligned with the lines of flux and the greater the voltage*time product the core can support without saturation. Working alongside a capacitor, an inductor prevents sudden changes in the power supply’s output voltage and current.On a little more intuitive level, inductive reactance occurs as a change in current in the winding on a ferromagnetic core causes a change in the number of magnetic domains in the core that are aligned with the lines of magnetic flux caused by the winding. In power supplies, an inductor’s role is to prevent sudden changes in current used. This relegates the majority of their use cases to applications in areas where such an expense can be justified, such as telecoms equipment, radios, and power supplies. Inductors, due to the copper and iron materials needed to make them, tend to be expensive. Ferrite inductors are the most widely used type as it’s possible to finely control their permeability by tuning the ratio of ferrite to epoxy. When used in inductors, ferrite powder is mixed with an epoxy resin and molded to form a core around which a magnetic wire can be wound. (Source: RS Components)Ī ferrite is a ceramic material made by mixing and firing iron(III) oxide blended with small amounts of one or more additional metallic elements, such as nickel and zinc. In almost all cases, you’ll find that an inductor in a system is formed around a core material-generally iron or iron compounds-to support the creation of a strong magnetic field.Ī ferrite core inductor manufactured by Wurth Elektronik. The different types of inductorĭifferent applications require different types of inductor. A magnetic wire is chosen to confine and guide the magnetic fields, and this is insulated to prevent problems like short circuits and breakdowns. The winding can form many shapes, including circular, rectangular foil, and square cross-section. The core material is an enamel-coated magnetic wire typically made of copper which is then coated in layers of insulating polymer material. Introduction to electronic compontents: Active vs. The design of an inductor is governed by electrical, mechanical, and thermal requirements of a given application. Inductance quantifies how much energy an inductor is capable of storing. The induced magnetic field also induces an electrical property known as inductance-the ratio of voltage to the rate of change of current. As such, inductors oppose any changes in current that pass through them. When the current flowing through the coil changes, the time-varying magnetic field induces voltage in the conductor with a polarity which opposes the change in current that created it.
Air core inductor calculator output voltage trial#
This design was settled on following extensive trial and error methods that considered methods like Hanna curves and area-product. Typically, an inductor will consist of an insulated wire that’s wound into a coil, much like a resistor. It’s a passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. #expertĪccelerate power electronics development - Choose your tools wisely What is an inductor?Īn inductor is arguably the simplest of all electronic components. The inductor, which stores energy, supplies energy to the circuit to maintain current flow during “off” switching periods, thus enabling topographies where output voltage exceeds input voltage.ĭue to the way they work-by not only altering electric field but the magnetic field around it-many people struggle to understand them. Inductors are typically used as energy storage devices in switched-mode power devices to produce DC current.