Evaluation of the Magnetic Field Generated by the Inverter of an Electric Vehicle

In hybrid and electric vehicles, passengers sit very close to an electric system of significant power, which means that they may be subjected to high electromagnetic fields. The hazards of long-term exposure to these fields must be taken into account when designing electric vehicles and their components. Among all the electric devices present in the power train, the electronic converter is the most difficult to analyze, given that it works with different frequencies. In this paper, a methodology to evaluate the magnetic field created by a power electronics converter is proposed. After a brief overview of the recommendations of electromagnetic fields exposure, the magnetic field produced by an inverter is analyzed using finite element techniques. The results obtained are compared to laboratory measurements, taken from a real inverter, in order to validate the model. Finally, results are used to draw some conclusions regarding vehicle design criteria and magnetic shielding efficiency.

[1]  Priyan Mendis,et al.  Measurement and analysis of electromagnetic fields from trams, trains and hybrid cars. , 2010, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[2]  O. A. Mohammed,et al.  Optimum Equivalent Models of Multi-Source Systems for the Study of Electromagnetic Signatures and Radiated Emissions From Electric Drives , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

[3]  W. O. Coburn,et al.  A theoretical and experimental study of the electromagnetic environment surrounding a magnetic induction launcher , 1997 .

[4]  R. Feuillet,et al.  Prediction of transient electromagnetic environment in power networks , 1994 .

[5]  H. Akagi,et al.  Attenuation of Conducted EMI Emissions From an Inverter-Driven Motor , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.

[6]  I. Said,et al.  Characterization of magnetic field at distribution substations , 2010, 2010 9th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering.

[7]  Holmes,et al.  Pulse width modulation for power converters , 2003 .

[8]  G. Villoresi,et al.  Monitoring and Analysis of Magnetic Fields Onboard Transport Systems: Waveforms and Exposure Assessment , 2007, 2007 7th International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electromagnetic Ecology.

[9]  A. Ahlbom.  Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz) , 1998 .

[10]  Guidelines on limits of exposure to static magnetic fields. , 2009, Health physics.

[11]  K. Jokela,et al.  ICNIRP Guidelines GUIDELINES FOR LIMITING EXPOSURE TO TIME-VARYING , 1998 .

[12]  A Sarikhani,et al.  Evaluation of Radiated Electromagnetic Field Interference Due to Frequency Swithcing in PWM Motor Drives by 3D Finite Elements , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

[13]  Osama A. Mohammed,et al.  Evaluation of radiated Electromagnetic Field Interference due to frequency switching in PWM motor drives by 3D finite elements , 2010, Digests of the 2010 14th Biennial IEEE Conference on Electromagnetic Field Computation.

[14]  N. Takahashi,et al.  3-D Finite Element Modeling and Validation of Power Frequency Multishielding Effect , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.