Controlling magnetic inductance by air-gap configuration in power electronics applications

: Gapped magnetic components are inherent to applications where conversion of power would force magnetic flux density beyond the saturation point of magnetic materials. A physical discontinuity in a magnetic path, which an air gap represents, signifies a drastic change in its reluctance to magnetic flux. This gives rise to a phenomenon referred to as the fringing effect, which impacts the performance of magnetic components. The fringing flux also affects the physical properties of magnetic components, such as magnetic reluctance and inductance. Since inductance of gapped magnetic components is a function of the size of the air gap, a relatively simple change to the configuration of the air gap or splitting a single gap into a plurality of gaps entails, frequently, a radical change to the magnetic circuit of the component. This paper examines the way the air-gap configuration affects the distribution of the fringing flux and, by extension, magnetic reluctance and inductance. A method to aid the design of multigap inductors is presented based on 3-D electromagnetic modelling as well as measurements. An analytic expression, which closely approximates the required length of quasi-distributed gaps substituting a single gap, is developed.