A Novel Approach to Analyzing and Measuring Coil Inductance in Air-Core Pulsed Alternator

The coil inductances can have an important influence on both the steady state and transient performance of the air-core pulsed alternator. Traditional methods account for the inductance of the magnetic core coil by including the core’s influence in the total magnetic flux generated by the coil. This article models the core’s influence as an interaction between the coil and an additional coil. The self-inductance of an individual coil, when positioned in a ferromagnetic core, is divided into the self-excited inductance of the coil and the mutual inductance between the coil and its mirror coil due to the ferromagnetic core. The mutual inductance between coils is categorized into coil-to-coil mutual inductance and coil-to-mirror coil mutual inductance. The analytical method is derived and implemented in MATLAB, demonstrating that the solution speed surpasses that of traditional analytical calculation methods. Moreover, this method is applicable to various core and coil shapes. Then, the proposed analytical method is validated against finite-element analysis and experimental. Based on this analysis method, this article presents an innovative method for accurately measuring the self-inductance and mutual inductance of windings without requiring large, expensive cores. By using several lightweight coil configurations, this approach reduces material and manufacturing costs while streamlining the measurement process. Comprehensive validation shows that this new technique matches the accuracy of traditional methods, effectively addressing the effects of the core. Overall, the method enhances measurement precision and transforms inductance evaluation, promising greater efficiency in electromagnetic design and applications.