A Review of Magnetic Core Materials, Core Loss Modeling and Measurements in High-Power High-Frequency Transformers

High-frequency transformers (HFTs) are the indispensable component in isolated high-power dc-dc converters which have been the basic building blocks for solid-state transformers. To ensure high efficiency, high power density and high reliability, careful selection, design, modeling and evaluation are necessary for the magnetic core of an HFT. However, due to the nonlinear characteristics and the complex physical mechanism, magnetic cores have always been regarded as the focus and difficulty. This paper systematically reviews magnetic core materials commonly used in HFTs, core loss modeling methods based on classical Steinmetz equation (SE), and advanced core loss measurement techniques. Pros and cons for the magnetic materials, modeling and measurement methods are comprehensively analyzed and summarized to provide a sufficient application insight.