Intelligent Inductor Characterization for Power Converters

Designing a power converter requires careful consideration to ensure high operational efficiency. Additionally, component selection, based on thorough analysis, significantly influences the thermal modeling of converters, which is crucial for volumetric optimization. To enhance converter design, this paper emphasizes the implementation of an analytical component selection framework alongside intelligent inductor loss assessment using multiple core materials to ensure optimal inductor selection. A 1kW boost converter design was used for the assessment. The evaluation was conducted across various switching frequencies and inductor ripple currents while considering different inductor cores. This approach provided a comprehensive range of estimated core and copper losses for the inductor design, thereby facilitating the pursuit of optimal performance.