Optimal inductor design for 3-phase voltage-source PWM converters considering different magnetic materials and a wide switching frequency range

In this paper, an optimization regarding volume, efficiency and costs of AC boost inductors in 3-phase PWM converters based on detailed multi-domain models is presented. The optimization is performed for a wide switching frequency range of 5-80 kHz and a wide current ripple range of 5-100 %, considering ferrite, amorphous and powder core materials in combination with round, litz, foil and flat wire windings. The shown analysis and optimization identifies the best core material/winding type combinations for both thermally and efficiency-constrained inductor designs. Furthermore, the investigations reveal that simplified scaling assumptions, e.g. a proportional relationship between the inductor volume and the inverse of the frequency or the stored energy, are only accurate in special cases.