Inductors are two-terminal electrical components designed to
oppose currents passing through them by inducting an electromotive force. They
are primarily used for signal processing and analog circuits in power
electronic applications. In SMPS devices, they are used as energy storage
components. They store energy in the form of magnetic fields as long as current
flows through them.
Inductors are estimated as open circuits for AC signals and
as short circuits for DC signals. However, not all inductors are created equal.
There are a variety of inductors available in the market that differ in terms
of performance, size and cost. Also, it is the number of turns in the coil, the
coil length, the coil area and core material that affect the amount of
inductance of an inductor. All these factors and more must be considered while
selecting an inductor for your application. Choosing the right type of inductor
is highly important. Here are a few factors explained to help you choose an
appropriate inductor.
Knowing your application
Before selecting an inductor, you must be well acknowledged
with the application you are going to use it with. There are two main aspects
that engineers look at in an inductor – whether it meets the circuit
requirements, and whether it improves the performance. The two most common
applications for inductors are radio frequency and power electronics. Understanding
the application requirements can help choose an inductor that not only
satisfies a circuit electronically, but also improves the overall performance.
Quality Factor
The quality factor or Q factor of
an inductor refers to the ratio of reactance to effective resistance. This
value depends on frequency, and impacts the sharpness of the center frequency
in an LC circuit. Generally, a high value of Q factor is preferred.
Self Resonant Frequency
The Self Resonant Frequency or SRF
is the frequency at which the inductor stops working. The SRF for an RF circuit
should exceed the operating frequency of the circuit. Generally, the lowest SRF
value is preferred.
Size
Large sized inductors are used in correspondence to filter
capacitors in power circuit applications, while small sized ferrite core
inductors are used in RF applications due to lesser power requirement.
Tolerance
Tolerance is the difference in
inductance value of an inductor in real as compared to the value specified in
the data sheet. This difference can result in unwanted shift in frequency
selection of an RF filter.
Saturation Current
Saturation Current is the DC
current that causes the inductance to drop by a specified value. This drop is
as a result of the core being able to store only a certain amount of magnetic
flux density. The saturation current is related directly to the magnetic
properties of an inductor.
DC Resistance
The DC Resistance or DCR is the
resistance inherent in the metal conductor of the inductor, and is an important
parameter in DC-DC convertor design. The DCR leads to I2R losses, thus reducing
the efficiency of the inductor.
Shielding
Inductors that comprise of shielded components reduce
coupling between components, which is highly effective in space constrained
applications.
Check for all these important factors while choosing an
inductor for your application. Get in touch with Miracle Electronics, the most
reliable inductor coil manufacturer inIndia, to be sure that you are provided with the best. Their inductors are
ideal for any application requiring high DC current bias and for use in SMPS.
They also undertake requests for custom inductor designs and development to
suit your applications perfectly.
Different inductors are designed for different applications. Make sure to
check for the inductor’s Q factor, SRF, size, tolerance, Saturation Current,
DCR and shielding to take the right decision for choosing an appropriate
inductor for your specific application.
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