ABSTRACT
Most of magnetic component designs are a trade-off between induction level
B
and core losses on one hand, and copper, ohmic, and eddy current losses on the other hand [1,2,3]. This trade-off results in a point of maximum efficiency placed between 50 and 100% of the nominal load. Depending on the design philosophy (the starting point), different types of cost functions and constraints can be defined:
• Loss minimization at constant copper volume and core shape • Loss minimization at constant copper wire cross section • Capitalization of losses such as cumulative energy consumption; in
this case partial load and no load are also important • Worst case designs with maximum temperatures • A part of optimization in a system, such as a power converter or an
appliance
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss several most frequently appearing cases and to give results that can be used to check whether the design is close or far away from the optimal one with respect to loss minimization.
