Easy-to-use CAD tools for litz-wire winding optimization

Abstract

Abstract-Existing advanced and powerful techniques for optimizing litz-wire winding designs are complex and usually require using multiple expensive software packages. A new CAD tool has been created to make advanced litz-wire design methods available to any designer through an easy-to-use web interface. The software performs two-dimensional field simulations and returns designs optimized considering cost and loss. It is shown that simple fullbobbin designs, compared to optimized choices, can result in much higher loss with almost no cost advantage or much higher cost with almost no loss advantage, whereas the optimization results provide a full range of choices providing the lowest loss at any given cost or the lowest cost at any given loss.

Optimized Magnetic Components Improve Efficiency of Compact Fluorescent Lamps

“…The method presented in [6] predicts that the use of a single strand of AWG 32 would reduce loss by 24%. In this example, the use of a single strand of smaller diameter wire can provide a reduction in winding loss.…”

“…We used the implementation of the litz-wire winding optimization method presented in [6] and available at [13] to produce the design curve shown in Fig. 2 for the inductor winding from CFL A.…”

“…Since the lowest-loss litzwire design is typically very expensive [7], one must consider the relative cost of different litz-wire designs in order to choose a good practical design [8]. The optimization method used [6] fi nds the lowest loss design for each of various cost levels. The loss is calculated using (1) and a two-dimensional model of the fi eld in the winding window.…”

“…Or, smaller-diameter strands can be combined in parallel litz-wire constructions. We used the method described in [6] to obtain optimized litz-wire designs. The method is capable of taking into account non-sinusoidal waveforms, twodimensional fi eld effects and wire cost.…”

Optimization of stranded-wire windings and comparison with litz wire on the basis of cost and loss

“…Choosing a litz-wire design is difficult, because of the large design space of possible choices for number and diameter of strands, many of which have high cost, high loss, or both. Hence, careful optimization can be invaluable; the methods in [2], [3], [4] narrow the design space to a smaller set of alternatives, each of which provides the lowest possible loss at any given cost. Thus, in order to determine when and where stranded wire offers advantages, it is necessary to compare a range of optimized designs, and show that the stranded wire can provide lower cost at a given loss, or lower loss at a given cost.…”