Comparison of different finite element formulations for 3D magnetostatic problems

The results obtained with several three-dimensional software packages for magnetostatic field calculation using the finite-element method (FEM) are compared with regard to their accuracy and their computational time requirements. The packages are based on the vector potential (VPOT), the reduced scalar potential (RSP), and the total and reduced scalar potential (TSP+RSP), respectively. Results for an iron cylinder immersed in the field of a cylindrical coil are given. It is found that the finite-element formulation using a total and reduced scalar potential and the direct iteration method are useful for dealing with nonlinear magnetostatic field problems. >