Inductors / Reactors / Chokes

What Is An Inductor?

An inductor is a two-terminal electrical component which stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. An inductor typically consists of an insulated wire wound into a coil. An inductor is basically a coil of wire which carries current. A transformer, on the other hand, consists of a primary coil and a secondary coil. Inductors have only one coil.The terms Inductors, Chokes and Reactors are terms which are sometimes used interchangeably but they are all devices which provide the electrical characteristic of inductance. Usually – it’s accepted that a choke is an inductor which carries DC, while a reactor is an inductor which carries AC.

Dufrane designs and manufacture inductors, chokes, and reactors with toroid or laminated steel cores, multiple windings, taps, and other features as required for your specific application, per your exact specifications, or even per your own drawings. Available core configurations for our inductors, reactors, and chokes include:

Laminated Core Inductors.

The most cost-effective construction, laminated core inductors are useful for a broad range of power and current levels.

Toroidal Core Inductors.

Toroidal core inductors are the most efficient, compact, and quiet – most useful at low to moderate power and current ratings.

Wound Cut Core (C-core or E-core).

Wound cut cores provide many of the advantages of toroids, including low losses, high efficiency, and reduced acoustic noise for higher power and current requirements.

Inductors are used extensively in analog circuits and signal processing. Applications range from the use of large inductors in power supplies, which are effective in removing ripple. Inductors are used as the energy storage device in many switched-mode power supplies to produce DC current. The inductor supplies energy to the circuit to keep current flowing during the “off” switching periods.

Dufrane produces a wide variety of inductors and can manufacture rapid prototypes as well as production runs into the thousands of pieces. Contact Us now for a quotation and discussion of your requirements.