In high-frequency inductors, ac winding losses are affected by skin and proximity effects, including uneven current distribution due to fringing magnetic fields around air gaps. It is well known that fringing effects can be mitigated using distributed air gaps. This article is focused on an orthogonal air-gap approach, which is a distributed air-gap technique where gaps are placed in core segments parallel with the windings and in core segments perpendicular to the windings. The orthogonal air-gap approach is developed using a one-dimensional analytical framework and validated by two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite-element simulations. Analytical guidelines are presented to optimize the air-gap distribution to achieve minimum ac resistance. As a case study, a planar inductor is designed for an 8-kW SiC-based buck converter operating at 250 kHz. It is shown how the orthogonal air gaps result in approximately 50% reduction in ac resistance and substantially reduced inductor losses compared to the design using standard air gaps. Experimental validation includes measurements of losses on the converter prototype as well as quality factor measurements in a resonant-circuit test setup.

中文翻译：

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减少具有正交气隙的高频电感器中由于边缘场效应引起的交流绕组损耗

在高频电感器中，交流绕组损耗受趋肤效应和邻近效应的影响，包括由于气隙周围的边缘磁场导致的电流分布不均匀。众所周知，使用分布式气隙可以减轻边缘效应。本文重点介绍正交气隙方法，这是一种分布式气隙技术，其中气隙位于平行于绕组的磁芯段和垂直于绕组的磁芯段中。正交气隙方法是使用一维分析框架开发的，并通过二维和三维有限元模拟进行验证。提供了用于优化气隙分布以实现最小交流电阻的分析指南。作为案例研究，平面电感器设计用于在 250 kHz 下运行的 8 kW 基于 SiC 的降压转换器。图中显示了与使用标准气隙的设计相比，正交气隙如何使交流电阻降低约 50% 并显着降低电感器损耗。实验验证包括转换器原型上的损耗测量以及谐振电路测试设置中的品质因数测量。