FEM analysis on the losses characteristic and temperature distribution of laminated core in MCR

The loss and temperature characteristics of magnetic valve type controllable reactor (MCR) lays great influence on its performance and safe operation. Abnormal magnetic field and hot spots can be caused by the laminated joint sheets distributed in magnetic valves. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3-D) finite element simulation model of MCR with distributed magnetic valves is established in COMSOL 5.3a firstly. Secondly, the loss and temperature of laminated joint sheets embedded in iron-cores are simulated using magneto-thermal coupling method. Finally, the joint building factor (JBF) is presented to compute and evaluate the relationship between loss characteristics and structure of magnetic valves. The results show that abnormal high-temperature of laminated core occurs in the magnetic valves. Both the maximum temperature and the JBF increases rapidly with the increase of magnetic flux intensity or the number of layers of silicon steel sheets. The simulation results are in accordance with practical operated MCR and provide guidance for its thermal safety.