Application of Computers in Electrical

Machines Design
EPM445

Transformer Design
Dr. Mohamed Shalaby
Electrical Power Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
Introduction
• The design of electrical machines/equipment for the specific
applications is based upon the application of theoretical scientific
concepts, technology and related inventions.
• The suitable design depends upon the proper adjustment of iron
portion, copper, air gap, insulation, ventilation and cooling of
machine.
• It is very difficult to design a machine which meets all the
specifications and requirements. The machine should be cheap,
durable, reliable and should perform according to requirements.
Introduction
• Limitations in design:
• Saturation of the magnetic circuit
• The temperature rise over the ambient temperature
• Insulation
• Mechanical strength
• Efficiency
• Other, such as volume/space, weight
 Materials in Electrical
Machines
• The selection of conducting,
magnetic and insulating
materials has important role in
machine design.

P. Ramesh; N. C. Lenin, “High Power Density Electrical Machines for Electric Vehicles—
Comprehensive Review Based on Material Technology”, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 55,
Issue: 11, Nov. 2019.
Magnetic Materials
▪ A material is said to be nonmagnetic if μr = 1.
▪ Magnetic materials may be grouped into 3-major classes:
Diamagnetic, Paramagnetic, and Ferromagnetic.
➢ A material is said to be diamagnetic if it has μr < 1. (Silver, copper, water, etc.)
➢ It is paramagnetic if μr >≈ 1. (Aluminum, Palladium)
➢ The material is ferromagnetic if μr >>>>>1 .
Ferromagnetic material: Iron, Cobalt and Nickel and
various other alloys and compounds made using these
three basic elements. They have a high relative
permeability (2000-10000).
Magnetic Materials
• What is Important in Magnetic Material?
• Saturation level (Bs).
• Remanence flux (Br) and coercivity. (Hc)
• Iron losses.
 Magnetic Materials
✓Saturation

B = μo μr H
Variation of μr
μr

Linear The The

domains domains
Non-Linear
before after
applying applying
Saturation magnetic magnetic
field field
H (or MMF)
Magnetic Materials
▪ All materials consist of small magnetic domains.
▪ In an unmagnetized sample of material, the domain magnetic
moments are randomly oriented, and the net resulting magnetic flux
in the material is zero.
▪ When they are in an external magnetic field (H) the domains are
intended to be in line with the field, so the magnetic flux will be
increased as a result.
▪ As the external magnetic field (H) is increased, this behavior
continues until all the magnetic moments are aligned with the applied
field; at this point they can no longer contribute to increasing the
magnetic flux, and the material is said to be fully saturated.
Magnetic Materials
✓Hysteresis Loop
Types of magnetic materials
a) Hard magnetic Material
(permanent magnets)
b) Soft Magnetic Material
Energy loss in magnetic materials
• Eddy Current Losses
• EMF is induced in the core, which generates eddy currents circulate in the
core material, generating heat.
• Using steel laminations to reduce eddy current, and minimize loss

t = Lamination
thickness

Peddy = K e B f t volume
2
m
2 2
Energy loss in magnetic materials
• Hysteresis Losses
• The direction of the magnetic flux in the core changes during every cycle.
Power is consumed to move around the magnetic dipoles in the core
material, and energy is dissipated as heat.

x
Physt = K h Bm f volume
Soft Magnetic Materials
• Main characteristics
• Low coercivity (Hc=1 – 100 A/m)
• Low field to saturation (H=1000 – 5000 A/m)
• High saturation flux density (B= 1 – 2 T)
• Soft magnetic materials forms
• Laminated steel sheets
• Non-oriented Fe-Si laminations
• Grain-oriented Fe-Si laminations
• Powder alloys

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 Soft Magnetic Materials
• Non-Grain-Oriented (NGO) laminations
• They have random texture orientation
• Never isotropic, exhibiting some 10% - 20% variation
of the loss along different directions in the lamination
plane
• Losses: 2.10 – 2.30 W/kg at 1.5 T and 50 Hz
• Grain-Oriented (GO) laminations
• The steel is annealed in laminations and grain-oriented
to give maximum flux density along the main axis
• the crystallites have their easy axis close to the rolling
direction (RD)
• Losses: 0.80 W/kg at 1.7 T and 50 Hz
Soft Magnetic Materials
• Types of soft magnetic materials
• Low carbon steel laminations
• Soft ferrites
• Powder alloys
• Amorphous alloys
• Nano-Crystalline Materials
Low carbon steel laminations
• They are low carbon (0.06% or less) steels with the silicon and manganese
content around 0.5%.
• Saturation flux density is higher than ferrites (i.e. >2 T) and good
permeability. However, it has high core losses.
• For low and medium frequency applications.
• When Silicon is added:
• increases mechanical hardness.
• lower the total conductivity.
• decreases saturation and coercivity.
• Application: They are mainly preferred for bulk manufacturing applications
and used widely for small household appliance motors

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Soft Ferrites
• The two most common types of ferrite are manganese (Mn)- Zinc (Zn)
and Nickel (Ni) – Zinc (Zn).
• The Ni-Zn has high electrical resistivity equals 10000Ωm suitable for
application for frequencies higher than 1MHz.
• The Mn-Zn has electrical resistivity of 1Ωm suitable for application for
frequencies lower than 1MHz. The saturation flux density is higher.
• The saturation flux density is lower than the laminated powdered
iron.

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Powder Alloys - Soft Magnetic Composites
(SMC)
• A magnetic powder core is manufactured by having iron or iron alloy
powder mixed or glued with an insulation material and compressed into a
ring or toroidal form.
• The effective permeability is a function of the size and spacing of the iron
particles, their composition and the thickness of the insulation binder.
• The effective permeability usually ranges from 15 to 550 and the core
electrical resistivity is around 1Ωm. The maximum flux density may be as
high as 1.5 T. The resulting inductance values tend to be very stable over a
wide temperature range.
• Application: SMCs are preferred for geometries with a three-dimensional
flux path, like claw pole machines, transverse flux machines, and linear
brushless direct current machines.
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Powder Alloys - Soft Magnetic Composites
(SMC)
[1]

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Amorphous alloys
• They are constructed to have a low core loss material with reduced
cost.
• They are developed in a thin tape structure with a nominal thickness
of 0.025 mm, by a melt spinning process.
• It has three times higher resistivity than conventional SiFe steel due
to its non-crystalline structure. So, reduced eddy current losses are
observed.
• Application: low power rating high-speed applications and special
structures like axial flux machines
Nano-Crystalline Materials
• They are a blend of iron with glass, with a typical tape thickness of
0.02 mm. (production technology and characterization techniques of
magnetic and mechanical properties are the same as amorphous)
• It has saturation flux density of up to 1.45 T.
• Nano-crystalline materials are mechanically more brittle, which
enable it to be rarely used in electrical machines.
• Applications: Commercially, available in toroidal structures.
 Design vs Modelling
• Accurate estimation of transformer losses
and short-circuit impedance during the
transformer design phase is crucial, since:
• it increases transformer reliability and
manufacturer credibility;
• it secures the desired transformer efficiency;
• it reduces the material cost, since smaller
design margin is used;
• it decreases transformer delivery time, since
there is no need for transformer prototype to
confirm the accuracy of transformer design
Design Tools
Design Tools

FE Models Analytical or Reluctance

Network

Most accurate but very slow Acceptable accuracy and very fast
What is Finite Element Model?
Draw the machine Discretize the machine Solve to obtain all
to nodes parameters
 What is Analytical Model?
Reduce complexity Build the equations Solve the problem
of the problem by
or loops yourself
certain assumptions

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