Optimal inductor design and material selection for high power density inverters used in aircraft applications

Abstract

This paper presents the design and optimization of power inductors for three-phase high-power-density inverters to be used in aircraft applications. The inductor's geometric parameters, magnetic properties, core material selection, core and copper losses in addition to temperature calculations are taken into account to meet the low losses and high frequency specifications of the considered high power density inverter. A multi-objective optimization algorithm was developed to calculate weight, volume, and losses of the inductor for different current ripples, different switching frequencies and different inductor core materials. The results of a weight-objective optimization are presented showing the optimal efficiency and power density of the inverter for five chosen core materials, namely the silicon steel, ferrite, iron powder, amorphous and nanocrystalline.