Designing inductors at device and converter level

Commonly, the magnetic component designer focuses the design on the performance of the magnetic component without a detailed analysis of the whole circuit. However, a complete design process should cover different stages, from the analytical design to the circuit simulation using accurate models. This paper presents a design example where it is highlighted the importance of designing inductors not just from the point of view of the device itself but from the point of view of the circuit where the component is working. It is shown that the optimum design depends on the working mode of the converter and therefore, the design should be analyzed applying circuit simulations in order to verify the selected configuration.