Finite Elements in

Electromagnetics
3. Eddy currents and skin effect
Oszkr Br
IGTE, TU Graz
Kopernikusgasse 24Graz, Austria
email: biro@igte.tu-graz.ac.at

Overview
Eddy current problems
Formulations in eddy current free regions
Formulations in eddy current regions
Coupling of formulations
Skin effect problems
Voltage excitation, A,V-A formulation
Current excitation, T,F-F formulation

Typical eddy current problem

Wn: nonconducting region

Air
J(r,t) = 0

Coil
J(r,t) known

0
Wc: eddy current
region
J(r,t) unknown

Maxwells equations:
B H, H B
curlH J 0 ,
in Wn and in Wc,
divB 0
in Wn,
J E , E J in Wc.
curlH J ,
curlE jB ,
divJ 0 ,
divB 0
in Wc. Assumption: curlT0 J 0 .

Boundary conditions
n: outer boundary of Wn
c: outer boundary of Wc
H n 0 or B n 0
onn,
H n 0 or E n 0 onc.
or
H n T0 n or B n T0 n
H n T0 n or E n 0

onn,
onc.

Interface conditions
nc: interface between Wn and Wc
H n and B n are continuous on nc.

Magnetic scalar potential in Wn

H T0 gradF ,

ne

T0 tk N k
k 1

Differential equation:
div ( gradF ) div ( T0 ) in Wn.
Boundary conditions:
F 0 or gradF n T0 n on n.

Finite element approximation

FF

nn

(n)

Fk Nk
k 1

Galerkin equations:

gradN

Wn

gradF dW gradN i T0 dW ,
(n)

Wn

i=1,2,...,nn

Magnetic vector potential in Wn

B curlA .

Differential equation
curl (curlA ) curlT0 in Wn
Boundary conditions:
A n 0 or curlA n T0 n on n.

Finite element approximation

AA

ne

(n)

ak N k
k 1

Galerkin equations:
(n)
curlNi curlA dW
Wn

curlN

T0 dW ,

Wn

i=1,2,...,ne
Positive semidefinite matrix

Magnetic vector potential alone in Wc

B curlA ,
*

E j A .
*

Differential equation
*
*
curlcurlA j A 0 in Wc.
Boundary conditions:
*
*
A n 0 or curlA n T0 n on c.

Finite element approximation

A A
*

ne

*( n )

ak N k
k 1

Galerkin equations:
*( n )
curlN i curlA dW
Wc

j N

*( n )

dW

Wc

curlN i T0 dW ,

i=1,2,...,ne

Wc

Nonsingular but ill-conditioned matrix

Magnetic vector and electric

scalar potential in Wc
B curlA ,

E jA jgradV .

Differential equations:
curlcurlA j A j gradV 0 ,
div ( j A j gradV ) 0 in Wc.

Boundary conditions:
A n 0 or curlA n T0 n ,

V V0 =constant or n ( j A j gradV ) 0

on c.

Finite element approximation

AA

ne

(n)

ak N k ,
k 1

V V

nn

(n)

Vk N k .
k 1

Galerkin equations:
(n)
(n)
curlNi curlA dW j Ni A dW

Wc

j N i gradV

Wc

(n)

Wc

j gradN

Wc

dW curlN i T0 dW ,
Wc

i=1,2,...,ne,

A dW
(n)

j gradN

gradV

(n)

dW 0 , i=1,2,...,nn

Wc

Singular system but improved conditioning.

Current vector and magnetic

scalar potential in Wc
H T0 T gradF , J curlT0 curlT.

Differential equations:
curlcurlT j T j gradF
curlcurlT0 j T0 ,
jdiv ( T gradF ) jdiv ( T0 ) in Wc.

Boundary conditions:
T n 0 or curlT n curlT0 n ,

F F 0 =constant or n ( T gradF ) n T0

on c.

Finite element approximation

TT

ne

(n)

tk N k ,
k 1

FF

nn

(n)

Fk Nk .
k 1

Galerkin equations:

curlN curlT
i

Wc

(n)

dW

j N gradF
i

Wc

j N T
i

dW

Wc
(n)

dW

curlN i curlT0 dW
Wc

(n)

j N i T0 dW ,

Wc

i=1,2,...,ne,

j gradN

Wc

T dW
(n)

j gradN

gradF dW

T0 dW ,

(n)

Wc

j gradN

i=1,2,...,nn

Wc

Singular system but good conditioning.

Coupling A,V in Wc to A in Wn:

A,V-A formulation
Interface conditions on nc:
Continuity of n A B n is continuous
Continuity of curlA n is a natural interface
condition H n is continuous
Galerkin equations remain unchanged

Coupling T,F in Wc to F in Wn:

T,F-F formulation
Interface conditions on nc:
Continuity of F and T n 0 H n is
continuous
Continuity of ( gradF T) n is a natural
interface condition B n is continuous
Galerkin equations remain unchanged

Typical skin effect problem

n
E1: E n 0

cn: H n, B n cont.

Wc:

curl H J ,

B
curlE ,
t
J E, B H

Wn: =0

B(r,t)

i(t)

J(r,t)

Wn:

Wc: >0
n

curl H J ,
div B 0,
B H

E2: E n 0
n
i(t)

u(t)

i (t )

Integral quantities, network

parameters
J (r, t ) nd J (r, t ) nd
E 1

E 2

pv (t )

Wc

J (r, t )

Wm (t )
Wc W n

dW R(t )i (t )
2

d
0 HdB dW 0 i( ) d L( )i( )d
dWm (t )
p(t ) u (t )i (t ) pv (t )
dt
B ( r ,t )

Voltage excitation (1)

A
gradU in W c
B curlA in Wc and W n , E
t
curlH E in W c , curlH 0 in W n ,
A n 0,U u (t ) on E1 , A n 0,U 0 on E 2 ,
A n 0 or H n 0 on (Wc W n )

A n and H n are continuous on cn J n 0

Voltage excitation (2)

B ( r ,t )

J (r, t )
d
HdB dW
p (t )
dW

dt

Wc
Wc W n 0
B
H dW
p (t ) E JdW
t
Wc
Wc W n

B
A
HdW curl
HdW

t
t
Wc W n
Wc W n
A
A

curlHdW
H nd
t
t

Wc W n
( Wc W n )

0
A

JdW
t
Wc

Voltage excitation (3)

A

p (t ) E
JdW gradU JdW
t
Wc
Wc

p (t ) gradU JdW UdivJdW

Wc

Wc

p (t ) u (t ) J nd u (t )i (t )
E 1

UJ nd

E 1 E 2 cn

Boundary value problem for A,V (1)

V
U
t
Differential equations:

A
V
1

curl curlA
grad
0
t
t

A
V
div(
grad
) 0 in Wc,
t
t
1

curl curlA 0

in Wn,

Boundary value problem for A,V (2)

Boundary conditions:
t

A n 0,V (t ) u ( )d on E1,
0

A n 0,V (t ) 0 on E 2 ,
1
A n 0 or curlA n 0 on (Wc W n ) .

Interface conditions:
1
A n and curlA n are continuous on cn .

Current excitation (1)

J curl T0 T, H T0 T gradF in W c ,
H T0 gradF in W n .
1
B
curl J
0 in W c , divB 0 in W n ,

t
E n 0 (B n 0) or

H n T0 n on (Wc W n ) ,

B n and F are continuous and T n 0 on cn .

Properties of T0
curlT0 0 in W n ,
curlT0 nd curlT0 nd i (t )
E 1

E 2

T0 n is continuous on cn .

A possible choice of T0
Solve the static current field in Wc
1

W c : curl curlT0 0

cn : T0 n H S n

E1 : curlT0 n 0

i(t)

J 0 curlT0

C
Wn: =0

E 2 : curlT0 n 0

Wc: >0

i (t ) ds Q (r rQ )
W n : T0 (r ) H S (r )

4 C
r rQ

Boundary value problem for T,F (1)

Differential equations:
1

curl curl T0 T T0 T gradF 0

div (T0 T gradF) 0 in Wc,

t

div (T0 gradF) 0 in Wn,

t

Boundary value problem for T,F (2)

Boundary conditions:

curlT n 0, T0 T gradF n 0 on E1, E 2

Tn 0

on cn .

F 0 or T0 gradF n 0 on (Wc W n ) .

Interface conditions:
F and T0 gradF n are continuous on cn .