Worked Problems on Magnetic Circuits

EEEN20090 – Electric Energy Systems

Problem 1
Figure 1 shows an iron core composed of an external magnetic circuit with cross
section S1 and a N1 -turn coil, and a shunt branch with cross section S2 and a
N2 -turn coil. The external magnetic circuit has an air gap of length ℓ4 . The
data of the magnetic circuit are as follows.

ℓ11 + ℓ12 + ℓ13 = 45 cm ℓ4 = 0.1 cm S1 = 150 cm2

ℓ2 = 15 cm ℓ51 + ℓ52 = 22.45 cm S2 = 250 cm2
ℓ31 + ℓ32 = 22.45 cm N1 = 200 N2 = 150

Determine:
a. The current I2 that leads to a 0.5 T magnetic induction in the air gap,
assuming I1 = 2 A and a relative permeability of the iron core µr = 5000.

b. The current I1 that leads to a 0.15 T magnetic induction in the air gap,
assuming I2 = 0.8 A and the magnetization curve shown in Figure 2.

Problem 2
Figure 3 shows the magnetic circuit of a rotaing machine with 2 stator poles.
The rotor is a 200 mm long cylinder. The stator has two poles whose width and
length are 40 mm and 200 mm, respectively. A coil with 360 turns is wound on
each pole. The same current flows in the two coils. Both air gaps are 1.5 mm
long.

a. Determine the reluctance of each air gap.

b. Neglecting the reluctance of the iron core, determine the current required
in the coils to obtain in the air gaps a magnetic induction equal to 0.8 T.

c. Repeat the previous question, considering the reluctances of the air gaps
and of the stator, but neglecting the reluctances of the poles and the rotor.
The average radius of the stator is 200 mm and its cross section is 4, 000
mm2 and the relative permeability of the iron core is 4, 000.

1
 ℓ13 ℓ31
ℓ2 ℓ32
I1 ℓ12 I2 S1

N1 N2 ℓ4

S2 ℓ51

ℓ11 ℓ52

Figure 1

2.0

1.8

1.6
Magnetic induction B [T]

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
10 50 100 500 1000 5000
Magnetic field H [A-turn/m]

Figure 2

2
 200 mm

40 mm

1.5 mm
i i

Figure 3

Problem 3
The magnetic circuit shown in Figure 4 has a constant cross section A = 16
cm2 , average length ℓ = 70 cm, and α = 45◦ . The magnetic induction and
magnetic field in the iron core are linked by the following expression:
2.2H
B= (1)
215 + H
where B is in T and H in A-turn/m. The coil has N = 600 turns and its current
is 2.5 A. Determine the length of the air gap g that leads to a magnetic flux
equal to φ = 0.8 mWb. Determine also the density of magnetic energy in the
iron core and in the air gap.

g α
N

Figure 4

3
Problem 4
Figure 5 shows an iron core whose relative permeability is 2, 000. The dimensions
of the core are shown in the figure. The width of the core is 7 cm. The lengths
of the air gaps are 0.05 cm and 0.07 cm, respectively. The cross section in the
air gaps is 5% bigger than that of the iron core. The coil has 300 turns and its
current is 1.0 A. Determine the magnetic flux in each column of the iron core
and the magnetic induction in the air gaps.

7 cm 30 cm 7 cm 30 cm 7 cm

7 cm

0.05 cm 0.07 cm
30 cm
300 espiras

7 cm

Figure 5

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Solution of Problem 1
a. The reluctances of the magnetic circuit are (see Figure 6):
ℓ11 + ℓ12 + ℓ13
R1 = = 4775 H−1 (2)
µ0 µS1
ℓ2
R2 = = 955 H−1 (3)
µ0 µS2
ℓ4
R4 = = 53052 H−1 (4)
µ 0 S1
ℓ31 + ℓ32
R3 = R5 = = 2382 H−1 (5)
µ0 µS1
Then:
φ3 = B3 S1 = 0.5 · 0.015 = 0.0075 Wb (6)
∆U = (R3 + R4 + R5 )φ3 = 433.62 A-turn (7)
∆U = N1 I 1 − R 1 φ 1 = N 2 I 2 − R 2 φ 2 (8)
φ3 = φ1 + φ2 (9)
N1 I1 − ∆U
φ1 = = −0.007 Wb (10)
R1
∆U + R2 (φ3 − φ1 )
I2 = = 2.98 A (11)
N2
b. Due to nonlinearity, one cannot define the reluctances.
B3 = 0.15 T ⇒ H3 = 40 A-turn/m (12)
N2 I2 − H3 (ℓ31 + ℓ32 + ℓ51 + ℓ52 ) − H4 ℓ4
H2 = (13)
ℓ2
= −115.5 A-turn/m (14)
H2 = −115.5 A-turn/m ⇒ B2 = −0.8 T (15)
B 3 S1 − B 2 S2
B1 = = 1.48 T (16)
S1
F1 = H1 (ℓ11 + ℓ12 + ℓ13 ) + N2 I2 − H2 ℓ2 = 542 A-turn (17)
F1
I1 = = 2.71 A (18)
N1

Solution of Problem 2
a. The cross section of the air gap is:
Ag = 0.04 · 0.2 = 8 · 10−3 m2 (19)
The reluctance of each air gap is:
g 0.0015
Rg = = = 149207.8 A-turn/Wb (20)
µ0 Ag (4π10 )(8 · 10−3)
−7

5
 φ1 R1 R3 φ3

φ2
+
N1 I 1 R2 R4
+
N2 I 2 R5

Figure 6

b. The magnetic flux that flows in the air gap is:

φ = BAg = (0.8)(8 · 10−3 ) = 6.4 · 10−3 Wb (21)
Neglecting the reluctances on the iron core, the equivalent electrical circuit
consists of two mmfs in series with the reluctances of the two air gaps (see
Figure 7).

φ
−

Rg Rg
Ni Ni

Figure 7

Applying the KVL the the circuit shown in Figure 7, one obtains:
2N i = 2φRg (22)
2(6.4 · 10−3 )(149207.8)
i= = 2.65 A (23)
2 · 360
c. The reluctance of each half of the stator is:
le π0.2
Re = = = 31250 A-turn/Wb (24)
µ0 µr Ae (4π10−7 )(4000)(4000 · 10−6)
Applying the KVL to the upper mesh of the circuit of Figure 8, one
obtains:
φ
2N i = 2φRg + Re (25)
2
2(6.4 · 10−3 )(149207.8) (3.2 · 10−3 )(31250)
i= + = 2.79 A (26)
2 · 360 2 · 360

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 Re φ/2

+
Rg Rg
Ni Ni

Re φ/2

Figure 8

Solution of Problem 3
From Ampere’s law, one obtains:

N i = Hℓ (ℓ − g) + Hg g (27)

where Hℓ is the magnetic field in the iron core and Hg is the magnetic field in
the air gap. In the air gap:
B
Hg = (28)
µ0
whereR B is the magnetic induction of the magnetic circuit. Considering that
φ= B ~ · dS
~ = BA, the magnetic induction does not depend on the angle α.
Hence:
φ 0.8 · 10−3
B= = = 0.5 T (29)
A 16 · 10−4
The magnetic field in the iron core is:
215B
Hℓ = = 63.235 A-turn/m (30)
2.2 − B
Hence, the remaining unknwon in equation (27) is g:

N i − Hℓ ℓ 1 500 − 63.235 · 0.7

g= = = 3.76 mm (31)
Hg − Hℓ 397 887 − 63.235

Finally, the density of the magnetic energy wmag as a function of the flux density
field B can be obtained as follows:

- In the airgap:
B
B 1 B2
Z
wmag (B) = dB = (32)
0 µ0 2 µ0

Hence, wmag (0.5) = 9.95 · 104 J/m3 .

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 - In the air gap:
B i0.5
215B
Z h
wmag (B) = dB = − 215B − 473 log (|B − 2.2|)  (33)

0 2.2 − B 0

Hence, wmag (0.5) = 14.5 J/m3 . Note that log in the equation above
indicates the natural logarithm, i.e., the logarithm with base e.

Solution of Problem 4
Let’s define the following reluctances:
ℓ1 1.11
R1 = = = 90.1 kA-turn/Wb (34)
µr µ0 A1 2000 · 4π · 10−7 · 0.07 · 0.07
ℓ2 0.0005
R2 = = = 77.3 kA-turn/Wb (35)
µ0 A2 4π · 10 · 0.07 · 0.07 · 1.05
−7

ℓ3 1.11
R3 = = = 90.1 kA-turn/Wb (36)
µr µ0 A3 2000 · 4π · 10−7 · 0.07 · 0.07
ℓ4 0.0007
R4 = = = 108.3 kA-turn/Wb (37)
µ0 A4 4π · 10−7 · 0.07 · 0.07 · 1.05
ℓ5 0.37
R5 = = = 30.0 kA-turn/Wb (38)
µr µ0 A5 2000 · 4π · 10−7 · 0.07 · 0.07
The total reluctance is:
(R1 + R2 )(R3 + R4 )
RTOT = R5 + (39)
R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
(90.1 + 77.3)(90.1 + 108.3)
= 30.0 + = 120.8 kA-turn/Wb (40)
90.1 + 77.3 + 90.1 + 108.3
The total flux in the iron core is equal to the flux in the central column:
F 300 · 1.0
φcenter = φTOT = = = 0.00248 Wb (41)
RTOT 120.8
Using the current divider principle, one obtains the fluxes in the other columns:
R3 + R4
φleft = φTOT = 0.00135 Wb (42)
R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
R1 + R2
φright = φTOT = 0.00113 Wb (43)
R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
The magnitues of the density flux fields in the air gaps are:
φleft 0.00135
Bleft = = = 0.262 T (44)
A2 0.07 · 0.07 · 1.05
φright 0.00113
Bright = = = 0.220 T (45)
A4 0.07 · 0.07 · 1.05