Field models for the electromagnetic compatibility of wireless power transfer systems for electric vehicles

Abstract

PurposeThe paper presents the Finite Element (FE) evaluation of the magnetic field emitted by a Wireless Power Transfer Systems used to charge the battery of electrical vehicles. An original approach for reducing the mesh size of the 3D FE model is used.Design/methodology/approachA minicar equipped with a circular coil is considered, while the transmitting coil is coherent with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard. The different shape of the coils and a possible misalignment are considered as possible sources of emitted magnetic field, which a person could be exposed to. To this end, a FE model is implemented. Because of the complexity of the mesh, a suitable 3D model is used. This model is previously validated and then used for evaluating the magnetic field around the Wireless Power Transfer Systems (WPTS).FindingsThe magnetic flux density around the WPTS is calculated and compared with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) limits.Originality/valueThe proposed 3D model, whose validation is shown in the paper, is able to compute the magnetic field with high accuracy despite the presence of a conductive and ferromagnetic thin structure, the steel layer related to the car frame, which would need a very fine mesh with a large number of elements to solve Maxwell equations.