Faster solutions with ElecNet 6.10, Infolytica’s Electric Field simulation software

Montréal, Québec, Canada – August 4, 2004 -- The release of ElecNet 6.10 has completely changed how floating conductors are now treated in an electric field simulation. In electrostatic problems, they carry a net zero charge and in the other classes of electric field problem, they inject net zero current (conduction plus displacement) into the surrounding material. Unlike the methods used in the past, where many simulation software packages, including ElecNet, would replace a floating conductor with a material that had a very high permittivity in order to impose a net zero charge, today’s ElecNet models the exact physical problem. Although the older approach would in general produce acceptable results, it was often difficult to obtain the desired outcome unless you used a very fine mesh and a very small solution tolerance. However, with this latest release of ElecNet, those limitations are removed and it is now possible to obtain a precise electric field distribution easily for all applications.

An example of floating conductors is a bushing where long, thin conducting foils are used to distribute the electric field uniformly between the conductor and a ground flange. These are not connected to any supply but are allowed to float. In ElecNet, the foils can conveniently be modeled as infinitely thin "electrodes", formed from surfaces of components. The electrodes are then specified as floating. This approach is accurate, straightforward, and yet leads to much smaller problem sizes (hence, faster solution times) than other methods. To demonstrate how this concept can be applied to a device, we have created a Gallery page that presents a 2D analysis of capacitive bushings inside an oil-insulated transformer using ElecNet’s floating electrodes.

To find out more about this new upgrade and, more specifically, how it translates into faster solutions, please contact one of our sales representatives at 514-849-8752 or by email at info@infolytica.com.