A Finite-Element Analysis Approach to Determine the Parasitic Capacitances of High-Frequency Multiwinding Transformers for Photovoltaic Inverters
paper ID: 36
Abstract
Magnetic components such as transformers and inductors play a significant role in the efficiency and the size/weight of inverter. They are also amongst the most difficult components to design, often requiring numerous design interactions and testing. Understanding and accurately predicting parasitic winding capacitances of high-frequency multiwinding transformers in PV inverters are fundamental to improve performance, lower cost, and speed time to market. As the geometry of the components becomes more complicated, it is almost impossible to derive analytical equations that accurately describe the behavior of magnetic components. Currently, parasitic capacitances of the multiwinding transformers are only known with certainty once a prototype is built. Therefore a design-build-test cycle needs to be iterated, often at substantial cost and time. This paper presents a technique and method to quantitatively predict the parasitic capacitance of high-frequency multiwinding transformers by means of finite-element analysis (FEA). Compared to a commercially constructed experimental prototype results, the FEA results are in agreement.
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