Using Volt-Second Integral Instead Of Winding Current To Predict Saturation

Focus:

Determining whether a chosen inductor will saturate is not always easy. While many inductor manufacturers will specify a core saturation current—a dc current level—this value is inconvenient for determining whether an inductor will saturate in the intended power supply application where the inductor will be subject to a waveform with both high-frequency ac and dc components. This article explains how saturation can be predicted more conveniently using the volt-second integral also known as the volt-second product. Some inductor manufacturers provide this value directly on their datasheets, making it very convenient to predict saturation using the method described here. But for those cases where the volt- second integral is not specified, a formula is provided here for calculating it from the published inductor parameters.

What you’ll learn:

• How to predict saturation in power inductors using the volt-second integral

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Author & Publication:

Gregory Mirsky, Vitesco Technologies, A Spinoff Of Continental Automotive Systems, Deer Park, Ill, How2Power Today, Jan 15 2021

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