Investigation of Thermal Losses in a Soft Magnetic Composite Using Multiphysics Modelling and Coupled Material Properties in an Induction Heating Cell

The complex interaction between material properties in an induction heating circuit was studied by multi physics simulation and by experimental verification in a full-scale laboratory heater. The work aims to illustrate the complexity of the system of interacting materials, but also to propose a method to verify properties of soft magnetic composite materials in an integrated system and to identify which properties are the most critical under different circumstances and load cases. Heat losses at different loads were primarily studied, from DC currents to AC currents at 15, 20 and 25 kHz, respectively. A FE model for magnetic simulation was correlated with a corresponding model for heat simulation. The numerical model, as well as the established input material data, could be verified through the experimental measurements. In this particular study, the current loss in the litz wire was the dominant heat source, thus making the thermal conductivity of the SMC the most important property in this material.