Electromagnetic modelling strategies for virtual testing of electrical powertrains

Electrification of vehicle powertrains is a common response to societal and legislative pressures to de-carbonize transportation. Hybrid and electric cars are among the best known examples, but similar trends are also found in the marine and aerospace sectors. Electrical powertrain components are routinely optimized to meet a wide range of performance targets (electro-chemical, mechanical, thermal etc.), but there are also electromagnetic aspects to be addressed. This paper outlines strategies that have been developed for electromagnetic modelling of both electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues and human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) associated with electrical powertrains. For EMC investigations, more practicable measurement of individual cells has been used to develop efficient hybrid 3D/circuit models for assemblies of large numbers of such cells used to form traction batteries. For EMF assessments, knowledge of the 3D geometry and the frequency content of traction current waveforms can be used to estimate the spatial distributions of low frequency magnetic fields and exposure metrics