Electromagnetic and Thermal Modelling of a Dry-Type Transformer using FEMM and ANSYS Maxwell

This study investigates the electromagnetic and thermal behavior of a 250V/12V, 250VA dry-type transformer using Finite Element Method (FEM). For this investigation, electromagnetic modelling is performed using both FEMM and ANSYS Maxwell, and thermal modelling is performed using ANSYS Maxwell software. The study design of this investigation involves the creation of a 2D transformer model followed by electromagnetic and thermal simulations. The required parameters for the modelling are taken from the physical measurement and ratings of the transformer. Hence, the temperature distribution of the transformer is investigated from the thermal modelling at ambient temperature conditions (i.e. $30^{\circ}\mathrm{C})$ and is verified with the real-time thermal distribution of the transformer using an infrared thermal camera (Model No.: FLIR E6XT). The thermal modelling reveals that the transformer's hot spot is located near the winding, and the temperature rise is within the acceptable limit that can assure the suitability of the transformer design. In addition to that, the magnetic flux distribution in the transformer is investigated through electromagnetic modelling. From the analysis of electromagnetic modelling, the core loss is estimated. The estimated core loss value using both software provides a good correlation which ensures the effectiveness of the proposed modelling technique. In this context, the present investigation demonstrates that the FEM simulations can be a useful tool to calculate the magnetic flux distribution, core loss and thermal behavior of the transformer. The results obtained from this study can aid in the design and optimization of dry-type transformers.