Optimized and standardized circular-coil systems for homogeneous magnetic field generation

Abstract

Abstract There is an increasting demand for homogeneous magnetic fields (HMFs) as an exposure resource for electrical immunity tests, biomedical experiments, etc. The design of conventional HMF generators, such as Helmholtz and Barker coils, only focuses on the field homogeneity at the coil center, which leads to limitations in the available HMFworkspace. In this paper, based on a comprehensive definition of the HMF, optimized circular three-coil and four-coil systems are analysed through an optimization method. By standardizing the coil parameters to the HMF parameters, it is easy to scale the coil systems to the desired HMF. In addition, two sets of concise formulae are presented as practical design tools. Compared to Barker coils, the proposed optimized coil systems enable a reduction in both total electrical power and conductor mass by 14.9%–33.6%. Numerical simulations and experimental tests are implemented to show the effectiveness of the theoretical results and the improvement in coil performance.