Modeling of Stepped Air-Gap Ferrite Inductors in Switching Power Supplies

This paper discusses the modeling of stepped air-gap ferrite inductors. The proposed model and numerical algorithm allow predicting the inductor current wave-shapes in switch-mode power supply applications, also in saturation. The current ripple of commercial stepped air-gap inductors has been evaluated by using MATLAB for cases of practical interest and these results have been validated by comparison with PSIM simulations, confirming the model reliability.