Calculation of a Tape-Wound Transformer Leakage Inductance Using the MEC Model

Leakage inductance is one of the most important aspects of transformer design. Herein, the calculation of the leakage inductance of core-type tape-wound transformers is considered in the context of a magnetic equivalent circuit-based analysis used to support optimization-based design. In optimization-based design, numerical efficiency is critical since 10⁵-10⁶ evaluations may be conducted. Thus, this paper presents a computationally efficient method to compute leakage inductances. The method is based on analytical calculation of the field intensity using Ampere´s law in the noncore regions of the devices. The predictions of the proposed method are shown to be more consistent with the predictions of a 3-D finite-element analysis than other documented approaches.