Limitations of Ansys-Maxwell and Simplorer Magnetostatic co-simulation in Inductive Wireless Power Transfer

The popularity gained by wireless power transfer (WPT) in recent years for low and high-power electronics challenged researchers to develop novel systems tackling the rising demand for wirelessly charged devices. In this process, simulation softwares have been used as a tool for validating theoretical models or concepts. The electromagnetic-package offered by Ansys, specifically Maxwell and Simplorer are amongst the most commonly used ones. This article discusses the limitations of Maxwell and Simplorer magnetostatic co-simulation in modelling an inductive WPT system using a simple topology, i.e. inductively coupled transmitter-receiver coils. Its performance with both horizontal coil misalignment and vertical coil separation for all three working regions: over-coupled, coupled and loosely-coupled was investigated in both simulation and experiment. The simulation and experimental results are compared to highlight the areas in which the simulation software can have limitations, e.g.: inaccurately predicting the maximum simulated efficiency in over-coupled and loosely-coupled areas when compared with the experiment.