WÜRTH ELEKTRONIK DEFINES AN ELECTRICAL PROPERTY FOR MOLDED INDUCTORS

Würth Elektronik has developed a new testing procedure for determining the maximum operating voltage of molded inductors. The manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components introduces developers to the electrical property of dielectric strength and what happens if it is exceeded in an application which is described in Application Note 126. The molded inductors from the Power Magnetics product portfolio (e. g., WE-MAPI, WE-XHMI, WE-LHMI) are now successively supplemented with the value of the maximum operating voltage Vop as a new parameter in the specifications.

Based on the new testing procedure, Würth Elektronik defines the maximum operating voltage Vop in its data sheets. This represents the voltage at which an inductor can be operated continuously in the application without impairing performance, risking damage or overheating the inductor. The operating voltage is therefore a limit value for the input voltage, up to which the inductor can be used reliably in an application without irreversible damage.

The test concept examines the behavior of inductors up to their voltage limits under realistic conditions in a DC-DC full-bridge converter (voltage transients of up to 60 V/ns and frequencies of up to 2 MHz). The approximate voltage limit is firstly evaluated using a short-term test. The operating voltage is then defined on this basis and verified in a long-term test.