Magnetic components modeling in isolated converters

The teaching method used for the analysis and modeling of magnetic components in two undergraduate courses of specialization modules for engineering degrees is presented. Within the topic dedicated to dc-dc converters, the need to include isolation in many applications is motivated. For the practical design of an isolated power stage, it is important to identify the effect of the magnetic component's leakage inductance on the converter's operation and calculate its value. In this work, the modeling of magnetic components is presented using analogy with electrical circuits, facilitating the calculation of the leakage inductance. Subsequently, the FEMM (Finite Element Method Magnetics) software is used to verify the approximate calculation of the leakage inductance by modeling the magnetic circuit. The work is illustrated with a practical example of characterizing a transformer for a converter applied to battery charging.