Application Prospects of Hybrid Magnetic Circuits in High Frequency Power Transformers

Abstract

In medium to high frequency power transformers, apart from minimizing the power loss in the core and copper, the design of its thermal circuit plays an important role in containing the temperature rise in different parts. It is extremely complex because there exist multiple loss centers with different heat removal characteristics. Moreover, the power loss is concentrated around a small core volume and the rest of it is available for convection and radiation. This article proposes to use a hybrid core configuration to improve the heat removal feature of the transformer. This article establishes through practical validation on suitability i.e., the magnetic compatibility of cores in the hybrid magnetic circuit. It further explores the application prospect of the proposed concept where the thermal performances have been compared using different core types in two different application domains. In the first case, the core could always remain energized to its rated value, and in the second design, both the windings could always draw their respective rated current.