The principle of energy storage in air-core inductors

What is air core inductor?

There are different types of inductors available where air core inductor is one of the types. This is a nonmagnetic core inductor which is also called an air core coil. These inductors are used in applications where low inductance & high frequency are required. This article discusses an overview of an air core inductor – working with applications.

Why is air core inductor weak?

Due to the magnetic effect of electric current, a magnetic field is established through the air gap. As we know, the air is a poor conductor of the electric current and magnetic field, thus the air core inductor will have very low inductance. Hence, the magnetic field produced by this type of inductor is also weak. Lacks a solid core in the coil.

What is an air core inductor symbol?

An air core inductor symbol is shown below. These types of inductors are utilized whenever the amount of inductance is less required and they do not have a core loss because there is no core. However, the number of turns in this inductor should be more as compared to other inductors which have the core.

Why does air work as a core?

Therefore, air works as a core. These inductors work on the basis that air has a fairly minimum electrical conductivity. So the air-core inductance is also low, producing a weak magnetic field. Because of the small magnetic field generation of air cores’, it achieves a faster current rise while avoiding signal loss.

How do you determine the inductance of an air core inductor?

Also, we can determine the inductance of the air core inductor using the following formula, Where N is the number of turns in the coil, A is the cross-sectional area of the coil, l is the mean length of the coil, and µ 0 is the permeability of air = 4π × 10 -7 H/m. Examples of air core inductors include:

What is the difference between air core and solid core inductor?

An air core inductor has no solid core in the coil. Solid core inductor has a solid core in the coil. This inductor is much lower as compared to the solid core inductor. The solid core inductor is quite large. The inductance value of this inductor is much lower. The inductance value of the solid core inductor is much higher.