• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • Capacitors
  • Resistors
  • Inductors
  • Filters
  • Fuses
  • Non-linear Passives
  • Applications
  • Integrated Passives
  • Oscillators
  • Passive Sensors
  • New Technologies
  • Aerospace & Defence
  • Automotive
  • Industrial
  • Market & Supply Chain
  • Medical
  • RF & Microwave
  • Telecommunication

What is an Inductor ?

29.8.2022

Bourns Expands Automotive High Power Thick Film Chip Resistor Series

31.1.2023

Vishay Releases Automotive Polymer Tantalum Capacitors

30.1.2023

USB PD 3.0 Flyback Transformer Optimisation

30.1.2023

Aluminum Capacitor Technology with Industry Highest Energy Density >5J/cc Available for Acquisition

31.1.2023

DC Blocking Capacitor Selection for Mobile Stereo High-Fidelity Audio

27.1.2023

What is X2Y Bypass Capacitor and What is it Good For?

27.1.2023
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • EPCI Membership & Advertisement
  • About
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Passive Components Blog
  • Home
  • NewsFilter
    • All
    • Aerospace & Defence
    • Antenna
    • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Capacitors
    • Filters
    • Fuses
    • Inductors
    • Industrial
    • Integrated Passives
    • Market & Supply Chain
    • Medical
    • New Materials & Supply
    • New Technologies
    • Non-linear Passives
    • Oscillators
    • Passive Sensors
    • Resistors
    • RF & Microwave
    • Telecommunication

    Bourns Expands Automotive High Power Thick Film Chip Resistor Series

    Vishay Releases Automotive Polymer Tantalum Capacitors

    USB PD 3.0 Flyback Transformer Optimisation

    Aluminum Capacitor Technology with Industry Highest Energy Density >5J/cc Available for Acquisition

    DC Blocking Capacitor Selection for Mobile Stereo High-Fidelity Audio

    What is X2Y Bypass Capacitor and What is it Good For?

    1kW Phase Shift Full Bridge Converter Design and Simulation

    Rubycon Releases High Capacitance Hybrid Aluminum Capacitors 

    TDK Releases the Most Compact Safety Motor-Run Film Capacitors

    Trending Tags

    • Ripple Current
    • RF
    • Leakage Current
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
    • Snubber
    • Low ESR
    • Feedthrough
    • Derating
    • Dielectric Constant
    • New Products
    • Market Reports
  • VideoFilter
    • All
    • Antenna videos
    • Capacitor videos
    • Filter videos
    • Fuse videos
    • Inductor videos
    • Non-linear passives videos
    • Oscillator videos
    • Passive sensors videos
    • Resistor videos
    • Sensors

    1kW Phase Shift Full Bridge Converter Design and Simulation

    Multiphase Buck Trans-Inductor Voltage Regulator (TLVR) Explained

    Smart Power Distribution Unit Architecture and Inductor Losses

    Interleaved Multiphase PWM Converters Explained

    A Pitfall of Transformer-Based Isolated DC-DC Converter

    Leakage Models of Multi-Winding Transformer in LLC Converter

    LLC Transformer Design for Power Converters

    Printed Resistors in a High Performance PCB System

    Transformer Characteristics Explained

    Trending Tags

    • Capacitors explained
    • Inductors explained
    • Resistors explained
    • Filters explained
    • Application Video Guidelines
    • EMC
    • New Products
    • Ripple Current
    • Simulation
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Suppliers
    • Preferred Suppliers
    • Who is Who
  • Events
  • Home
  • NewsFilter
    • All
    • Aerospace & Defence
    • Antenna
    • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Capacitors
    • Filters
    • Fuses
    • Inductors
    • Industrial
    • Integrated Passives
    • Market & Supply Chain
    • Medical
    • New Materials & Supply
    • New Technologies
    • Non-linear Passives
    • Oscillators
    • Passive Sensors
    • Resistors
    • RF & Microwave
    • Telecommunication

    Bourns Expands Automotive High Power Thick Film Chip Resistor Series

    Vishay Releases Automotive Polymer Tantalum Capacitors

    USB PD 3.0 Flyback Transformer Optimisation

    Aluminum Capacitor Technology with Industry Highest Energy Density >5J/cc Available for Acquisition

    DC Blocking Capacitor Selection for Mobile Stereo High-Fidelity Audio

    What is X2Y Bypass Capacitor and What is it Good For?

    1kW Phase Shift Full Bridge Converter Design and Simulation

    Rubycon Releases High Capacitance Hybrid Aluminum Capacitors 

    TDK Releases the Most Compact Safety Motor-Run Film Capacitors

    Trending Tags

    • Ripple Current
    • RF
    • Leakage Current
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
    • Snubber
    • Low ESR
    • Feedthrough
    • Derating
    • Dielectric Constant
    • New Products
    • Market Reports
  • VideoFilter
    • All
    • Antenna videos
    • Capacitor videos
    • Filter videos
    • Fuse videos
    • Inductor videos
    • Non-linear passives videos
    • Oscillator videos
    • Passive sensors videos
    • Resistor videos
    • Sensors

    1kW Phase Shift Full Bridge Converter Design and Simulation

    Multiphase Buck Trans-Inductor Voltage Regulator (TLVR) Explained

    Smart Power Distribution Unit Architecture and Inductor Losses

    Interleaved Multiphase PWM Converters Explained

    A Pitfall of Transformer-Based Isolated DC-DC Converter

    Leakage Models of Multi-Winding Transformer in LLC Converter

    LLC Transformer Design for Power Converters

    Printed Resistors in a High Performance PCB System

    Transformer Characteristics Explained

    Trending Tags

    • Capacitors explained
    • Inductors explained
    • Resistors explained
    • Filters explained
    • Application Video Guidelines
    • EMC
    • New Products
    • Ripple Current
    • Simulation
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Suppliers
    • Preferred Suppliers
    • Who is Who
  • Events
No Result
View All Result
Passive Components Blog
No Result
View All Result

What is an Inductor ?

29.8.2022
Reading Time: 7 mins read
0 0
0
SHARES
581
VIEWS

This article explains very basic definition of What is magnetism, What is an Inductor ? as passive electronic component and its main application and technologies.

Inductors, also referred to as coils or sometimes choke, are important passive components along with resistors (R) and capacitors (C). Coils usually refer to wound conductive wires, and among them, those with a single wound wire have in recent years particularly been referred to as inductors. If
it is intended for low-frequency applications it usually has a core with a closed magnetic circuit that consists of laminated iron (power frequency) or a ferrite toroid (above 1kHz).

RelatedPosts

What is RFID?

Failure Analysis of Capacitors and Inductors

Filters and RF Inductors

Inductance is usually represented by the symbol “L.” Although this L is said to come from Lenz of “Lenz’s Law” related to electromagnetic induction, there also appear to be various theories.

The basic structure of an inductor consists of a conductive wire wound in a coil shape and is able to convert electric energy to magnetic energy and store it inside the inductor. The storable amount of magnetic energy is determined by the inductance of the inductor and measured in Henry (H).

Inductors slow down current surges or spikes by temporarily storing energy in an electro-magnetic field and then releasing it back into the circuit. In hydrodynamic analogy (Fig.1.) inductor works as a large flywheel that offers resistance to every change in the flow/current. Anyone who has turned a bike upside down and turned the wheel up to speed knows, that there is a certain resistance to start. But, as soon as you have gained speed on the wheel it requires very little force to maintain its velocity. If you then want to brake, it requires a considerable force.

Figure 1. inductor as “flywheel” in hydrodynamic analogy

Inductor Applications

Inductors are primarily used in electrical power and electronic devices for these major purposes:

  1. Choking, blocking, attenuating, or filtering/smoothing high frequency noise in electrical circuits
  2. Storing and transferring energy in power converters (dc-dc or ac-dc)
  3. Creating tuned oscillators or LC (inductor / capacitor) “tank” circuits
  4. Impedance matching
  5. Inductors are also employed in electrical circuits to reduce EMI by attenuating high-frequency noise in order to meet EMC emission and immunity requirements.

What is a choke?

Primarily inductors consist of a coil. If we insert a core of magnetic material the inductive properties of the coil will increase. Such coils are then called chokes. When we draw current through a choke electric currents are induced in the magnetic material that try to create a counteracting magnetic field. These currents are undesired both for that reason and because they create heat losses.

Homogeneous magnetic bodies are excluded; the induced current would be too high. Instead mutually isolated ribbons are used or a powder technology where the binder material between the magnetic granules limits the induced current by their resistivity.

Connection

Inductors may be connected in series or in parallel; inductance then comply with the same laws as for resistors.

Connection in series

series inductance connection equation [1]

Connection in parallel
For loss free coils and coils with the same angle of phase applies

parallel inductance equation [2]

Inductive Reactance

Just as a capacitor the inductor presses a reactance on an AC circuit. To divide this reactance from that of a capacitor it is called the inductive reactance, XL. The quantity is expressed in ohms and complies with the formula:

inductive reactance equation [3]

ω = 2 x π x f, where f means the frequency expressed in Hz.

Basic Structure of Inductors and Inductance

The most basic inductors consist of a conductive wire wound in a coil shape, with both ends of the conductive wire as external terminals. In recent years, most inductors include a core, around which a conductive wire is wound.

Figure 2. basic structure of an inductor (left) and its practical examples (right)

The inductance of an inductor is determined by the following equation [4]:

inductance of an inductor equation [4]
  • L Inductance (H)
  • k Nagaoka coefficient
  • μ Core permeability (H/m)
  • N Number of coil turns
  • S Coil sectional area (m2)
  • l Coil length(m)
インダクタンス,电感,Inductance
Figure 3. illustration how to increase inductor inductance; source: Panasonic

Equivalent Circuit

An inductor can be described with the Figure 2.

Figure 2. Inductor with its winding on the core and with developed stray capacitance

The stray capacitances between the windings and between windings and core can be summarized to one single total capacitance CL. The winding wire also has resistance and in the magnetic material equivalent loss resistances appear. Taken together the characteristics of the inductor can be described with following equivalent circuit.

Figure 3. Equivalent circuit of the inductor.

At lower frequencies the capacitance plays a minor part, but as frequency rises we reach the self resonant frequency, fr, (sometimes abbreviated SRF) where the impedance curve arrives at a peak and then turns downwards and becomes capacitive.

inductor self-resonance frequency equation [4]

The measurement frequency (test frequency) is at a sufficient distance from fr and always is stated for respective inductor.

Electric vs Magnetic Field

Comparing magnetic fields with electrical fields, analogies emerge between certain parameters. These are summarized in Table 1.:

Tab. 1. Analogies between magnetic and electric fields

Related Posts

Inductors

USB PD 3.0 Flyback Transformer Optimisation

30.1.2023
13
Capacitors

What is X2Y Bypass Capacitor and What is it Good For?

27.1.2023
31
Inductors

1kW Phase Shift Full Bridge Converter Design and Simulation

27.1.2023
12

Upcoming Events

Feb 8
11:00 - 12:00 CET

How Does Your PCB Layout Influence the Costs in PCB Manufacturing? Würth Elektronik Webinar

Feb 27
February 27 @ 12:00 - March 2 @ 14:00 EST

Pre Cap Visual Inspection per Mil-Std-883 (TM 2017)

Mar 3
12:00 - 14:00 EST

External Visual Inspection per Mil-Std-883 TM 2009

View Calendar

Popular Posts

  • Ripple Current and its Effects on the Performance of Capacitors

    3 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 0
  • Understanding High-Precision Resistor Temperature Coefficient of Resistance

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is a Dielectric Constant of Plastic Materials ?

    4 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 0
  • Capacitor Selection for Coupling and Decoupling Applications

    28 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 0
  • Leakage Current Characteristics of Capacitors

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why Low ESR Matters in Capacitor Design

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • How to Choose the Right Inductor for DC-DC Buck Applications

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MLCC and Ceramic Capacitors

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter Subscription

 

Archive

2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017

Symposium

Passive Components Networking Symposium

Passives e-Learning

Knowledge Blog

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • EPCI Membership & Advertisement
  • About

© EPCI - Premium Passive Components Educational and Information Site

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Video
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Preferred Suppliers
  • Events

© EPCI - Premium Passive Components Educational and Information Site

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.