Multilayer Conductors with Integrated Capacitors for High Frequency AC
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical conductors face significant resistive losses when transmitting high frequency AC due to the skin effect and inductive effects, limiting their efficiency in applications like magnetic hyperthermia and wireless power transfer, where achieving low resistance is crucial for minimizing power loss and maximizing magnetic field strength.
Innovation Solution
The development of multilayer conductors with integrated capacitors, where each conductor layer includes overlapping sublayers separated by a dielectric layer, forming parallel plate capacitors that promote equal current sharing among layers and reduce inductive impedance differences, thereby minimizing resistive losses and optimizing high frequency AC transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional electrical conductors are used to transmit high frequency AC, then the conductor structure is simple, but resistive losses increase significantly due to skin effect and inductive effects
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor is divided into multiple parallel conductor layers (first conductor layer, second conductor layer, etc.) with dielectric layers between them. Each layer carries a portion of the high frequency AC current, and the segmented structure reduces skin effect and inductive effects in each individual layer, thereby reducing overall resistive losses while maintaining manageable structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor assembly combines multiple materials including conductive materials (for the conductor layers) and dielectric materials (for the insulating layers between conductors). This composite structure enables simultaneous optimization of electrical performance (low resistance) and structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between energy loss reduction and structural complexity
2Loss of energy
If multiple conductors are coupled in parallel to reduce resistance, then effective resistance decreases at low frequency, but current distribution becomes uneven at high frequency due to different impedance values
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric layers between the parallel conductor layers are designed to provide uniform electrical characteristics across all layers. By ensuring that each conductor layer experiences similar electrical conditions and impedance characteristics through the use of consistent dielectric materials and geometries, the system achieves more uniform current distribution across all parallel layers at high frequencies, improving reliability while maintaining low effective resistance
3Loss of energy
If conductor cross-sectional area is increased to reduce resistance, then resistance decreases, but skin effect prevents full utilization of the cross-sectional area at high frequency
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single large cross-sectional conductor where skin effect would prevent utilization of the core area, the conductor is segmented into multiple thinner parallel layers. Each layer has a cross-sectional area optimized for high frequency current flow, ensuring that the entire cross-sectional area of the conductor assembly is effectively utilized while maintaining low resistance and minimizing skin effect losses
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively reduces resistive losses and enhances the efficiency of high frequency AC transmission, allowing for the generation of strong magnetic fields with lower power requirements, making it suitable for applications like magnetic hyperthermia and wireless power transfer.
Implementation Method 1
each conductor layer includes a respective first and second conductor sublayer that are separated from one another by a sublayer dielectric layer, such that the second conductor sublayer at least partially overlaps with the first conductor sublayer... forming parallel plate capacitors
Implementation Method 2
a phenomenon known as the 'skin effect' causes high frequency AC flowing through a conductor to flow predominately near the conductor's outer surface or 'skin,' potentially preventing the electrical conductor's cross-sectional area from being fully used
Implementation Method 3
current flowing through a conductor will tend to flow along a path which minimizes circuit inductance... This inductive effect, which also increases with increasing frequency
Data Source
AI summary
A multilayer conductor includes at least one separation dielectric layer and a plurality of conductor layers stacked in an alternating manner. Each of the plurality of conductor layers includes a first conductor sublayer and a second conductor sublayer separated from the first conductor sublayer by a sublayer dielectric layer. The second conductor sublayer at least partially overlaps with the first conductor sublayer in each of the plurality of conductor layers. The multilayer conductor is included, for example, in a device including a magnetic core adjacent to at least part of the multilayer conductor.