Fast FEA Thermal Simulation of Magnetic Components by Winding Equivalent Layers

The thermal analysis and the estimation of the maximum temperature under operating conditions is an important step in the optimization of magnetic components for power electronics. In most cases, the thermal distribution is 2D or 3D so the use of analytic equations is very complex, or even not feasible. Then Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools are required. However, the meshing is computationally very expensive due to the high number of conductors and their small size compared to the core. The goal of this paper is to develop an accurate and fast thermal model for FEA simulations to overcome this problem. A deviation as small as 0.9% from the maximum temperature in the winding and a 7.2-fold reduction of the simulation time are achieved. The model is suitable for solid and litz wires, independently of the winding impregnation material and the core shape. Three prototypes with different core shapes and winding types are used to experimentally validate the model.