FAQ

General questions about FEM

1. What is the future of FEM simulation software and its impact on the industry?

   The future of Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation software will likely be influenced by advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies have the potential to significantly enhance the accuracy, speed, and efficiency of FEM simulations, making them more accessible to a wider range of users and industries. We also expect AI and machine learning methods might become more favorable for standard cases with common core types and winding topologies.

2. What are the benefits of using FEM simulation software?

   + Reduced reliance on physical testing and prototyping, saving time and costs.
   + A better understanding of the behavior of materials and components under different load conditions.
   + Ability to optimize designs, making them lighter, stronger, and more energy-efficient.
   + Improved safety by predicting and avoiding potential failure modes.

3. What are the limitations of FEM simulation software?

   – The complexity of simulations can be difficult for some users to understand and interpret.
   – The software cost can be a barrier to adoption for some organizations.
   – The limited accuracy of simulations, especially for highly nonlinear systems.
   – Difficulty capturing all possible design variations, which can impact the reliability of results.
   – Lack of standardization in software and simulation procedures can lead to inconsistencies in results and interpretations.

4. How do I choose the right FEM simulation software for my requirements?

   To determine the most appropriate software, we recommend reaching out to multiple software vendors to request an example model with a solution to a similar problem. Make sure that the trial version you use matches the one you intend to purchase. Large simulation packages break functionality and require separate licenses for CAD import or result processing modules.

General questions about TRAFOLO

1. What are applications other than inductors and transformers TRAFOLO can simulate?

   TRAFOLO can simulate applications beyond inductors and transformers, including wireless charging, inductive heating, and electromagnetic actuators (currently only in static mode).

2. What is the main difference between TRAFOLO and other commercial tools?

   The main difference between TRAFOLO and other commercial tools is its focus on magnetic components such as transformers and inductors. It is a comprehensive simulation platform that provides advanced analysis capabilities, a powerful visualization tool, and a user-friendly interface.

3. How steep is the learning curve for TRAFOLO simulation software?

   The learning curve for TRAFOLO depends on the user’s prior experience and the complexity of the simulation tasks. It is a specialized tool that automates most tasks and requires less training than alternatives. In addition, priority support is included for users with commercial licenses. Our main audience is engineers with no or little simulation experience, but even advanced users could find it very customizable thanks to the underlying open-source layer.

4. What kind of support and training resources are available for users?

   TRAFOLO provides extensive support, online training sessions, documentation, and many relevant examples.

5. Does the software has pre-defined examples for common cases?

   TRAFOLO includes a library of pre-defined examples for the most common cases, which can be used as starting points for your simulations. This library gets updated regularly, but also when new functionality or a requirement from users arrives.

6. How accurately does TRAFOLO produce the results?

   TRAFOLO relies on the open-source package ElmerFEM for electromagnetic and heat transfer simulations. We can judge the accuracy of ElmerFEM from project reports and academic papers. As with any FEM software, its use does not guarantee high accuracy by any means. It depends on mesh quality, the accuracy of material properties, boundary conditions (e.g., in the case of TRAFOLO, heat transfer coefficient), excitations, and algorithms used.

Technical questions about TRAFOLO

1. What type of geometries can the software handle?

   TRAFOLO has parametric templates for the most common core types, and it can import CAD geometries with complex shapes.

2. What type of excitation can be applied to the model?

   It supports current and voltage sources defined as harmonics (amplitude and phase) or time-transient waveforms.

3. How is the meshing process optimized for accuracy and efficiency?

   The meshing process in TRAFOLO is optimized for magnetic component modeling, e.g., for massive wire, it adds boundary layers to resolve the skin effect.

4. How do the software handle post-processing and data visualization?

   Automatic post-processing is done after the successful completion of the simulation. Users can open simulation results in ParaView in one click, which allows further, more advanced manipulation of results.

5. How does the software handle non-linear material behavior in the simulation?

   TRAFOLO can handle non-linear material properties such as the B-H curve through non-linear solvers – special solution techniques that solve the problem multiple times, correcting the result with every iteration.

6. Are there any limitations on the size or complexity of the models that can be simulated?

   Depending on the computational resources available, there may be limitations on the size and complexity of the models that can be simulated. Size complexity is associated with available RAM, while complexity is related to numerical models in use. For example, some winding types, like those using foil as a wire, might have difficulties with convergence at high frequencies.

7. Does the software support parallel computation for faster simulations?

   Thanks to ElmerFEM parallel computation capabilities, TRAFOLO so-called distributed parallelization for faster simulations on one or multiple computers, allowing users to take advantage of the computing power from laptops to high-performance computers.

8. How does the software handle large-scale simulations across multiple computing nodes?

   TRAFOLO creates simulation files that the user can copy on a high-performance computer and run a simulation. ElmerFEM has a built-in function to decompose computational mesh into partitions that run on a separate core and uses Message Passing Interface (MPI).

9. Can the software be used to optimize designs, and how does the optimization process work?

   TRAFOLO will launch optimization capability in mid-2023. It will allow users to specify geometrical and other parameters and optimize solutions based on specific objectives and constraints.

10. Does the software offer a scripting or programming interface to automate simulation processes?

    The software does not provide an interface for scripting, but users can make changes to mesh and simulation files.

11. How does the software handle multi-physics simulations, such as coupled electromagnetic-thermal simulations?

    TRAFOLO supports weak coupling in which electromagnetic and thermal phenomena are modeled and solved separately, but the results of one simulation are used as input for the next simulation. This way, the interactions between different physical phenomena can be captured without solving the entire problem simultaneously.