PEXpert (Power Electronics Expert) Overview

Hello, my name is David Giglio. Welcome to this video presentation brought to you by Ozen Engineering, the simulation experts.

In this video, I will be giving an overview of PEXpert, which stands for Power Electronics Expert, and it is an interactive PC-based design tool that uses analytical expressions to design magnetic components such as transformers and inductors.

PEXpert includes industry-based libraries of magnetic cores, bobbins, insulators, and conductors, which allows you to define the model to your exact specifications. Let's get started. Double-click the PEXpert icon to open a new session.

I will be giving an overview of completing the design optimization of a new model. The process begins with the first step of the design optimization: creating a new model. To do this, go to File and select New. The selection of magnetic component type window will pop up.

Here, you can select a magnetic component type to be optimized. There are four component options to choose from: Inductor, Transformer, Coupled Inductors, and Flyback. The components can have excitation that is waveform-based or excitation that is converter-based.

In the waveform-based excitation selection, you will be able to choose the desired excitation type. The components can have excitation that is transformer-based or square-based. In the waveform-based excitation selection, you will be able to choose either sinusoidal or square-wave excitation.

For this video, I will select Transformer as the component type and Waveform as the excitation. The window that appears contains the working window. On the top right is the Input and Output Data area.

On the bottom right is the Graphics area, and to the bottom left is the Libraries area, which contains stock libraries for cores, bobbins, wires, and material from industry-based manufacturers. On the top left is the Elements Information area, which contains properties of selected items.

In the Input and Output Data area, you can adjust the Primary Voltage, the Turns Ratio, the Desired Output Power, the Excitation Frequency, the Voltage Waveform (whether square or sinusoidal), and if square, you can adjust the Voltage Shape (whether symmetrical or asymmetrical).

For this video, I will be showing you how to adjust the Voltage Shape of the component. In the Input and Output Data area, you can see the Design Input Settings. With the Design Input tab selected, we can see various design input settings we can adjust.

We can update the selection of the Geometry of the Component (which can be Concentric, Planar, Toroidal, or Laminated), adjust Thermal 1D Parameters for heat transfer, update the Turns Ratio Settings, select the Winding Setup, edit the Temperature, adjust the Temperature, add the NCIS-ICEPACK Parameter for thermal coupling, adjust the Limit Values (including for Magnetic Flux Density and other parameters), and adjust the Winding Efficiency Settings.

The Modeling Options tab selected, we can see various settings for computing losses and performing optimization of the model. For winding losses, we can select DC Resistance or AC Resistance with harmonics and set the Number of Harmonics.

For core loss calculations, we can choose Steinmetz or Giles-Atherton methods.

We can choose to optimize the Number of Turns for Minimum Losses and we could choose to list results of all solutions or select configure results classified by minimum losses, minimum temperature, minimum volume, minimum height, minimum footprint, and set the Number of Best Solutions to be Shown.

I will leave the default settings in all the tabs of the Input and Output Data area. In the Libraries area, the stock libraries are arranged in a tree structure and they are locked and cannot be edited.

Information of a manufacturer's stock library for the core, bobbins, wires, and core material can be viewed by selecting the appropriate tab on top and then expanding the manufacturer's branches in the tree.

For example, to view the available cores in the Ferris Cube stock library, click the plus sign and we see the various core types available. Clicking a core type will show you the various core type models available.

We can select a core type model and see basic properties of it in the Elements Information area on the top left.

By double clicking a core type model, we will be shown a 3D illustration of the part and see its properties under the Core Properties tab, which shows effective values for area, length, and volume in either units of millimeters or inches.

And by selecting the Dimensions tab, we will be shown a schematic with definitions of dimensions of the core. This information is what you will find if you looked at the manufacturer's product specification sheet.

Similarly, we can select the Bobbins tab, expand the Core Type, and double click a Core Type Model of the Bobbin, and we will be shown the Bobbin's Parameters, which include the Raw Parameters and Dimensions of the Schematic Shown.

Likewise, by selecting the Wires tab and expanding the Ferris Cube library, we can see the various Wire Types. Expand the Wire Type to view the available Wire Type Models.

Double click a Wire Type Model to view the Wire Properties, for example, Number of Strands, Strand Diameter, Outer Diameter, Conductor Resistivity, and Thermal Parameters. Likewise, select the Materials tab. Expand the FerrixCube library. We see the available materials for the core.

Expand the Materials Type. Double-click a Material Type Model, and we see its properties.

Here we can see Electrical Properties, Additional Properties showing Magnetic Field Strength Threshold, Graphical Information showing Permeability versus Magnetic Field Strength, the Joules-Atherton Hysteresis Curve, Twin Builder Nonlinear Parameters, Core Losses Information, and PSPICE Nonlinear Parameters.

So far, I have just shown how to view properties of the cores, bobbins, wires, and core material from a stock library. But I have just shown how to view properties of the cores, bobbins, wires, and core material from a stock library.

I have not selected a stock library to use in the analysis and optimization of a model. To use a stock library with a model, select the stock library and drag it into the Design Library. I will leave the default settings in all tabs of the Input and Output Data area.

Now we are ready to simulate and obtain calculation results for optimization. Go to Calculations and select Start the Design Process. I will select Yes for all messages to allow PEXpert to make selections for us for the Core, Bobbins, Wires, and Material from the Design Library.

PEXpert has obtained 2,791 valid designs out of 3,117 analyzed designs. The 10 designs with lower losses have been shown. In the Graphics Window, the designs are arranged by minimum loss. With the ID Number shown in the X Axis and the Power Losses shown in the Y Axis.

In the Input and Output Data Area, the designs are also arranged by minimum loss. Double-click a design and see the customized list of results and select ID Number. Now the ID Number shows in the column on the far right.

Observing the Input and Output Data Area, we have 3 new tabs available for viewing. We are currently viewing the List of Results Tab. To view performance results, select the design and select Performance.

We see results for Losses, Leakage Inductance, Windings, Winding Occupancy, Flux Density, Temperature, Window Filling, Window Rating, and Losses. Also, we see Magnetizing Current. Go to Constructive Results and see the Core Size, Bobbin, Core Material, and Library of the Component.

And see the Wire Gauge, Number of Turns, Parallel Turns of the Windings, and see an Illustration of the Construction of the Model Type. That is the end of this video presentation of an overview of PEXpert.

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