institut

Systmes et Applications des Technologies dlectronique

fondamentale
de lInformation et de lEnergie UMR CNRS- 8029

Flexible Neel Effect current sensor

Eric Vourch1, Pierre-Yves Joubert2, Lionel Cima3
1SATIE, CNRS, ENS CACHAN, UniverSud
61 avenue du Prsident Wilson, 94235 Cachan France eric.vourch@satie.ens-cachan.fr 2IEF, Universit de Paris-Sud, CNRS, 91 405 Orsay, France pierre-yves.joubert@u-psud.fr
3Neelogy S.A. 191, Avenue Aristide Briand 94230 Cachan France lionel.cima@neelogy.com

Abstract
We report for the first time on the characterization of a Neel Effect DC current sensor featuring a flexible superparamagnetic core to be clamped on the primary conductor fed by the current to measure. Such a flexible structure is made
possible thanks to the use of a core made up of a flexible plastic torus loaded with magnetic nanoparticles. One of the advantages of such a configuration is the easy implementation of the sensor on existing installations. The principle of the
sensor relies on the use of an hysteresis free magnetic material which is excited by a harmonic magnetic field created thanks to a coil wound around the core. Thanks to this harmonic excitation, DC currents can be measured via the
measurement of the component of the coil output signal at the second harmonic of the excitation frequency (as the magnetic material features a non linear characteristic). Here we report on the topology of such a sensor designed for
enabling easy second harmonic measurement and we characterize a prototype operating in a closed loop configuration over the [-600 A 600 A] DC range.

Superparamagnetic core characteristics

The core of a Neel Effect sensor is made up of a plastic matrix loaded with
superparamagnetic (SPM) nanoparticles.
The magnetization curve of such a core thus features a non linear behavior from the
origin up to the saturation and is remanence free.

In Neel effect sensors, a harmonic magnetic field excitation is applied to the SPM
transducer via a winding fed by a sinusoidal current and on the other hand, the
electromotive force (EMF) due to the magnetic flux density variations is sensed, also
by a winding. In the presence of a current to measure, assumed to be continuous or
slowly variable with respect to the excitation, a magnetic bias point is superposed to
the magnetic excitation of the magnetic core, which results in a modification of the
sensed EMF. The measurement of the EMF, and in particular that of the component
at the second order harmonic of the excitation frequency, enables the current to be -Ha Ha -Ha Ha
determined.

Double core Neel Effect sensor implemented in a closed loop configuration

ei(t)

t
B

Hm+Hex

Analytical model of the sensor Characterization of the sensor operating for DC currents
600 Sensitivity of the measurement to the
The EMF sensed by a torus reads: position of the primary conductor

300

where Is(A) 0
60 mm
-300

Error < 1%
-600
-600 -300 0 300 600
Since r (H) is an even function and r /H is an odd function, given the sensed Ip(A)
magnetic field components directions, the components of e1(t) and -e2(t) at ex According to characterizations performed in the [8 C- 48 C], 100 mm
cancel each other out, and the sensed signal is: the average variations of the measured current did not exceed
0.031 %. Cable position Average error (%) Maximum error (%)
Note: Neel Effect is a trade mark and a patented technology that belongs to Neelogy SA.
Current Is feeding the feedback secondary conductor versus North 1.90 2.47
the current Ip feeding the primary conductor (measured South 0.24 2.20
thanks to a calibrated shunt) over the [-600 A 600 A] range
West 7.12 8.16
(@23 C).
East 1.64 2.11
The error is defined as the difference between the reference Center 0.05 0.11
current measured by the calibrated shunt and that measured by
the Neel Effect current sensor. The average error is calculated
for the ensemble of the current range [-600 A 600 A], each
measurement (performed at the room temperature (23C)
being repeated 100 times).