Theoretical-experimental comparison of a modeling procedure for magnetic components using finite element analysis and a circuit simulator

Abstract The aim of this article is to present a theoretical–experimental comparison of the voltage and current waveforms of an inductor which is included in a buck DC–DC converter at a switching frequency of 100 kHz. Theoretical voltage and current waveforms are obtained applying a modeling procedure for magnetic components based on finite element analysis (FEA). Such procedure takes into account the core saturation effect and is designed for use in a commercial circuit simulator. We have explored the application of the procedure to a ferrite core, which is used in power electronics. It was specifically applied to an RM-shaped core. The comparison between experimental and simulated results validates the procedure.