Non-connected volume regions of type "coil conductor region" in Flux 3D

Overview

Until version 2022.1 of Flux 3D^TM , volume regions of type "coil conductor region" had to be assigned to a single connected group of volumes of the geometry. A possible geometry for such regions is shown in Figure 1where nine connected coil conductor regions were necessary to describe the windings of a motor. There are three coil conductor FE coupling components in the project. Each coil conductor had to be assigned to three regions.

Figure 1. Geometry with nine coil conductor regions, each one linked to their respective non-connected volume in previous versions of Flux 3D^TM (i.e., until version 2022.1).

This constraint has been lifted in Flux 3D^TM 2022.2: in this new version, regions of type "coil conductor region" may now be assigned to several non-connected groups of connected volumes. The number of such volume regions in a project can therefore be much smaller. A possible geometry for such regions is shown in Figure 2. Remark that now, only three coil conductor regions are necessary to describe the windings of the motor. Each of the three coil conductors is assigned to a region.

Figure 2. The same geometry with three non connected coil conductor regions linked to each group of coils with the new version of Flux 3D^TM 2022.2.

Note: This new possibility of having non-connected volume regions of type "coil conductor region" in 3D is available only for Coil conductor region without losses or for Coil conductor region with losses and simplified geometrical description. This feature is not yet available for Coil conductor region with losses and detailed geometrical description.

The new possibility is not available with the “Analytical method or by interpolation from lines“, only with “Method with electric conduction resolution + uniform J norm” to compute the current density J in these regions (available from the Solving menu, with the following choices: Solving process options > Edit > Advanced tab). For the moment, a Coil conductor region with losses and detailed geometrical description, always uses the Analytical method or by interpolation from lines.

Orienting coil conductor regions

The following two commands:

Orient wires of coil conductor region (completion mode), and
Orient wires of coil conductor region (modify mode).

are still required to assign the electric terminals to a coil conductor volume region in 3D. In case of a non-connected volume region of type "coil conductor region" with Internal terminals, Flux will ask the user to select the faces on the input terminal and only one line defining the sense of the current for all the groups of volumes. The faces on the input terminal must almost be in the same plane and must be close to each other. An example is given in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3. An example describing a coil with three non-connected volumes is represented in (a) part, a wrong practice of terminals assignment is given in (b) while a good practice of terminals assignment is shown in (c) part.