Finite element analysis and efficiency improvement of the Thomson coil actuator

This paper assesses the electrical to mechanical energy conversion efficiency of a Thomson coil, ultra-fast, linear actuator. Using finite element software a sensitivity analysis of the actuator was conducted in order to understand how different design parameters affect actuator performance. By using an iterative approach a high performance design has been realized. Through FE simulation results it is shown that when the actuator coil is correctly dimensioned, a Thomson coil actuator can achieve a considerably higher efficiency than is reported so far in research literature.