Research of electromagnetic and thermal optimization design on air core reactor

In this paper, the geometry‐electromagnetic character, thermal condition of the coils, and encapsulation number are coupled in the optimization design of an air core reactor, to realize the minimum usage of metal conductor. Combined with the equality constraint conditions for maximum temperature rise conservation, inductance conservation, and structure function of the reactor, the optimization design curves and results are achieved based on the initial design parameters. According to the design results, the temperature field simulation model of the reactor is established, and the results verify the correctness of the optimization method. Compared with the design method of ‘equal height and heat flux’ and thermal‐electromagnetic character without considering the change of encapsulation number, the proportionality factor of metal conductor usage is 0.73 with the optimization method. It shows that the optimization method can significantly improve the utilization ratio of the conductor. Meanwhile, the influence of regularity on the electromagnetic efficiency, thermal efficiency, and other parameters is also obtained. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.