A comparability parameter for amorphous magnetic materials

A new comparability parameter is introduced for assessing the suitability of magnetic alloys for saturable reactors in high mean power applications. The parameter, or loss factor, is the ratio of the energy loss per unit volume (which can be determined from the dynamic hysteresis curve) to the square of the available change in flux density (spl utri/B). Use of this figure-of-merit shows the likely advantage of certain cobalt-based amorphous alloys in high repetition rate pulse compression circuits. Measurements on a range of alloys show that the lower value of /spl utri/B of cobalt alloys is compensated by much lower specific hysteresis loss. Thus, although a larger volume of magnetic material is required to meet a given specification of compression ratio and pulse energy, much higher pulse repetition frequencies can be tolerated. High loop squareness and superior handling properties enable efficient, compact cores to be realised more easily than with alternative materials.