Impact of core shape and material on the acoustic noise emission of medium frequency, medium voltage transformers

Acoustic noise emission of transformers is mainly due to core vibration induced by reluctance force and magnetostriction which is highly dependent on the core material and geometry. This paper investigates the vibration and acoustic noise of nanocrystalline cores with different geometric shapes based on FEM simulation and experimental measurements. Furthermore, the optimal design of medium frequency transformers (MFT) by using different core materials and geometric shapes is analyzed to find the most suitable core for MFT design with high efficiency, high power density and low acoustic noise emission.