Modeling and simulation of a permanent magnet array in elliptical configurations

Permanent magnet arrays have advantages for magnetic field generation over the traditional current based magnetic flux sources, such as electromagnets, in that they do not require a power supply and cooling system. Magnetic flux density above the magnetic remanence BR of the permanent magnet material can be achieved by arranging the permanent magnet segments in the form of hollow cylindrical shells (magic rings), or hollow spherical shells (magic spheres). For many applications, it is important to design a permanent magnet array with the highest magnetic flux density for a given size and weight of permanent magnet material. In this paper, we report enhancement of magnetic flux density in the air gap by changing the cross sectional shape of the permanent magnet array into ellipse instead of a circle, as has been conventional until now.