DOI 10.

1007/s11018-015-0752-9
Measurement Techniques, Vol. 58, No. 5, August, 2015

ELECTROMAGNETIC MEASUREMENTS

THE PRODUCTION OF A UNIFORM MAGNETIC

FIELD USING A SYSTEM OF AXIAL COILS FOR
CALIBRATING MAGNETOMETERS

V. E. Baranova,1 P. F. Baranov,1 UDC 621.317.44

S. V. Muravyov,1 and S. V. Uchaikin2

The construction of an axial 8-coil system based on Helmholtz coils is described, which enables a magnetic
field with a nonuniformity of not more than 0.1% to be produced at a distance of half the radius from the
center of the coil system. The results obtained are confirmed by experimental investigations.
Keywords: uniform magnetic field, axial coils, Helmholtz coils, magnetometer, calibration.

To calibrate and graduate weak magnetic field sensors and magnetometers based on them, a measure of the magnetic
induction of a constant field is required [1]. One-, two- or three-component coils and dc sources are used as such measures [2].
The error of the measure must be a minimum of a third of the error of the instrument being calibrated. To calibrate magnetic
field sensors, used to measure magnetic induction with an error of 0.3%, a magnetic field source with a nonuniformity of not
more than 0.1% is required.
A solenoid or Helmholtz coils are most often used as the coils with a current to produce one component of a uniform
magnetic field [3–6]. One main drawback of a solenoid is its large dimensions. To extend the area of uniform field, one has to
increase the length of the solenoid considerably, and, consequently, also the number of turns, which involves an increase in the
inductance and an increase in the requirements imposed on the current source [7]. The use of Helmholtz coils provides a region
of uniformity of the magnetic field produced that is less than in a solenoid with the same current strength and number of turns.
Below we describe the construction of a system based on Helmholtz coils, which enables one, by increasing the
number of coils, to produce a single-component magnetic field with a nonuniformity not greater than 0.1% at a distance of
±R/2 from the geometrical center of the coil system, where R is the radius of the coils. The results obtained are confirmed
experimentally.
An Axial Two-Coil System. Helmholtz coils are two coaxial rings of radii R, spaced a distance R from one another,
as shown in Fig. 1. To produce a uniform field, the coils are connected in series with a current source.
By the Biot–Savart–Laplace law, the induction B of the axial field of a single coil at the point z can be calculated from
the formula
B(z) = 0.5μ0NIR2[R2 + (z – h)2]–3/2, (1)

where μ0 is the magnetic constant, H/m; N is the number of turns of the coil; I is the current through the coil, A; z is the coor-
dinate of the point, m; and h is the distance of the center of the coil from the origin of coordinates, m.

1
National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia; e-mail: [email protected].
2
D-Wave Systems Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 52–56, May, 2015. Original article submitted December 17, 2014.

550 0543-1972/15/5805-0550 ©2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

 Fig. 1. Helmholtz coils.

By the superposition principle, the resultant field of two coils is equal to the vector sum of the fields produced by
each coil separately. If the current direction in both coils is the same, the distribution of the induction of the axial field of the
two coils can be calculated as
1 ⎧ −3/2 −3/2 ⎫
B(z) = μ 0 NIR 2 ⎨ ⎡ R 2 + (z + h)2 ⎤ + ⎡ R 2 + (z − h)2 ⎤ ⎬. (2)
2 ⎩⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦ ⎭

Since h = R/2 for Helmholtz coils, expression (2) takes the form

⎧⎡ 2 −3/2 ⎡ 2 −3/2 ⎫
1 2⎪ 2 ⎛ R⎞ ⎤ 2 ⎛ R⎞ ⎤ ⎪
B(z) = μ 0 NIR ⎨ ⎢ R + ⎜ z + ⎟ ⎥ + ⎢R + ⎜ z − ⎟ ⎥ ⎬. (3)
2 ⎪⎩ ⎢⎣ ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠
⎦⎥ ⎢⎣ ⎦⎥ ⎪⎭

In order to determine the degree of uniformity of this field in the center of the system of coils, we will consider to
what extent successive derivatives of B(z) with respect to z are equal. A higher-order first non-zero derivative at a given point
ensures a greater uniformity of the field in its neighborhood.
We expand (3) in a Taylor series with respect to the variable z in the neighborhood of zero:
1 (2) 1 (4) 1 (6)
B(z) = B(0) + B (0)z 2 + B (0)z 4 + B (0)z 6 + ... (4)
2 24 720
Function (3) is even, and hence there are no odd derivatives in (4). Since the Helmholtz coils are situated at a distance
R from one another, the second derivative at the center of the system vanishes, i.e., B(2)(0) = 0. Hence, the change in the in-
duction on moving from the point z = 0 is given by the expression
1 (4) 1 (6)
Δ B(z) = B (0)z 4 + B (0)z 6 + ...
24 720

The following expression holds at the geometrical center of the Helmholtz coils (z = 0):

(
B(0) = 16μ 0 NI 10 5R . ) (5)

From (3) and (5), we obtain the following formula for the relative nonuniformity of the magnetic field along the OZ axis:

⎧⎡ 2 −3/2 ⎡ 2 −3/2 ⎫
B(z) − B(0) 5 5 ⎪ ⎛1 z⎞ ⎤ ⎛1 z⎞ ⎤ ⎪
δz = = ⎨ ⎢1+ ⎜⎝ + ⎟⎠ ⎥ + ⎢1+ ⎜ − ⎟ ⎥ ⎬ − 1. (6)
B(0) 16 ⎪⎩ ⎢⎣ 2 R ⎝ 2 R ⎠
⎦⎥ ⎢⎣ ⎦⎥ ⎪⎭

In Fig. 2, we show a graph of the relative nonuniformity of the magnetic field δz, constructed from formula (6),
where the coordinates along the z axis are normalized to the radius of the coil R. It follows from Fig. 2 that a nonuniformity
of the magnetic field δz ≤ 1% can be achieved at a distance from the geometrical center z/R < 31.4%. A nonuniformity
δz ≤ 0.1% (see the dashed curve in Fig. 2) can be obtained when z/R < 17.3%.

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 Fig. 2. The nonuniformity of the magnetic field produced by Helmholtz coils.

Hence, the region of uniformity of the magnetic field, produced by Helmholtz coils, is limited to a fairly small
range at the center of the coil system. For example, for two coils of radius R = 55 mm, a field uniformity of δz ≤ 0.1% is only
obtained when z ≤ 9.5 mm, i.e., the region of uniformity of the magnetic field needs to be extended. For this purpose, the
dimensions of the coils are usually increased, which makes the system less mobile and more difficult to construct. However,
the same effect can be achieved using a greater number of coils [8–11].
An Axial Eight-Coil System. Systems of three or four coils of different radius, with a certain relation between the
number of turns in the coils, are described in [8–12]. These systems require the construction of a complex framework. A sys-
tem of three coils of the same radius in which the following conditions are satisfied:

B(2)(0) = 0; B(4)(0) = 0 (7)

was proposed in [13].
Here, for coils of radius 55 mm, a field uniformity δz ≤ 0.1% will be obtained at distances z ≤ 18.7 mm from the center.
A further extension of the region of uniform magnetic field is possible if the number of coils of the same radius in the system
is increased. Then, in addition to conditions (7) it is also necessary to ensure that a larger number of even derivatives is equal
to zero. The magnetic induction along the OZ axis for a multicoil system can be calculated from the formula

⎧ ⎡ 2 2 ⎤ −3/2 −3/2 −3/2 ⎫

⎪⎣ R + z ⎦ + k1 ⎡ R 2 + (z + h1 )2 ⎤ + k1 ⎡ R 2 + (z − h1 )2 ⎤ +⎪
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
⎪ −3/2 −3/2 ⎪
1 ⎪ ⎪
B(z) = μ 0 NIR 2 ⎨+ k2 ⎡ R 2 + (z + h2 )2 ⎤ + k2 ⎡ R 2 + (z − h2 )2 ⎤ + ...+ ⎬, (8)
2 ⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
⎪ ⎪
⎪+ k ⎡ R 2 + (z + h )2 ⎤ −3/2 + k ⎡ R 2 + (z − h )2 ⎤ −3/2 ⎪
⎪⎩ n ⎣ n ⎦ n⎣ n ⎦ ⎪⎭

where ki is a coefficient, which determines the number of turns in the ith pair of coils; and n is the number of coils.
The first term in (8) corresponds to the coil with coordinate z = 0, while the remaining terms correspond to pairs of
coils, situated at the same distance from the center of coordinates and having the same number of turns. For a system with an
even number of coils, the first term in (8) is equal to zero. When designing such a system of n coils, one must obtain n/2 un-
known distances h to the center of the coils and (n – 2)/2 unknown coefficients k, determining the number of turns in the
corresponding pairs of coils as kN. To find the unknown parameters, it is necessary to set up and solve a system of nonlinear
differential equations of the following form:
⎧ B(2) (0) = 0;
⎪
⎪ B(4) (0) = 0;
⎨
⎪...
⎪ (2(n−1))
⎩B (0) = 0.

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TABLE 1. Results of a Calculation of the Real Values of the Parameters of an Axial Eight-Coil System

Coil number N h, mm

1 10 9.54
2 20.69572 30.27
3 31.89726 76.46
4 40.95742 122.71
5 10 –6.12
6 20.69572 –30.27
7 31.89726 –76.46
8 40.95742 –122.71

TABLE 2. Results of Iterational Calculations of the Parameters of an Axial Eight-Coil System

Coil number N h, mm

1 10 13.5
2 12 42.5
3 17 80.5
4 34 144.5
5 10 –13.5
6 12 –42.5
7 17 –80.5
8 34 –144.5

We used the PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0 software for the numerical solution of this system of equations. We chose n = 8
from the requirements imposed on the size of the uniform axial field region and the acceptable complexity involved in manu-
facturing the system of coils. An accurate solution was obtained in the form of real numbers with a large number of significant
digits for the number of turns N and the distances h from the center of the system of coils to the origin of coordinates (Table 1).
However, a practical form of the system is possible for an integer number of turns N and distances h, that are multi-
ples of 0.5 mm. We used an iterational method [14] to obtain these. This basic principle is as follows: after finding the real
parameters of all the coils, the parameters of the first pair k1, h1 were rounded off; the calculations are repeated for one less
number of pairs of coils; the parameters of the second pair k2, h2 were rounded off; the process was then repeated to obtain
the parameters of all n/2 pairs of coils. The results of the iterational calculations are presented in Table 2.
In Fig. 3, we show a graph of the relative nonuniformity of the magnetic field δz of an axial eight-coil system, where
the values of the z coordinates are normalized to R. It follows from Fig. 3 that the relative nonuniformity of the magnetic field
at distances of ±R/2 from the center does not exceed 0.015%. The calculated value of the magnetic induction at the center of
this system of coils for a current of 1 mA is 448.9 nT.
Experimental Investigations. We used a cylindrical former – a polychlorvinyl tube, 110 mm in diameter and 300 mm
long, to construct a system of eight coils. The coils (sections) were wound with PEVShO 0.2 grade wire, the direction of the
winding of all the sections being the same. Steps were taken to ensure that the centers of the coils, with the dimensions shown
in Table 2, coincided. The overall number of turns was 146.

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 Fig. 3. Nonuniformity of the magnetic field produced by Helmholtz coils (1) and
an eight-coil system (2).

TABLE 3. Results of Measurements of the Magnetic Induction in the Coil System

B, μT for z
I, mA δz=R/2 δz=–R/2 δz=R/3 δz=–R/3
0 R/2 –R/2 R/3 –R/3

1 0.452 0.452 0.452 0.452 0.452 0 0 0 0

2 0.904 0.904 0.904 0.904 0.904 0 0 0 0
3 1.356 1.357 1.357 1.358 1.357 0.073 0.074 0.147 0.074
4 1.808 1.809 1.809 1.810 1.810 0.055 0.055 0.111 0.111
5 2.260 2.262 2.261 2.263 2.262 0.089 0.044 0.133 0.088
6 2.712 2.714 2.714 2.715 2.715 0.074 0.074 0.111 0.111
7 3.164 3.166 3.166 3.168 3.169 0.063 0.063 0.126 0.158
8 3.616 3.619 3.618 3.621 3.620 0.083 0.055 0.138 0.111
9 4.068 4.071 4.071 4.072 4.073 0.074 0.074 0.098 0.123
10 4.520 4.523 4.523 4.526 4.525 0.066 0.066 0.133 0.111
20 9.040 9.048 9.046 9.049 9.050 0.089 0.066 0.100 0.111
30 13.559 13.571 13.569 13.574 13.575 0.089 0.074 0.111 0.118
40 18.080 18.093 18.092 18.098 18.099 0.072 0.066 0.100 0.105
50 22.60 22.62 22.61 22.63 22.62 0.089 0.044 0.133 0.089
60 27.12 27.14 27.14 27.15 27.15 0.074 0.074 0.111 0.111
70 31.64 31.66 31.66 31.68 31.67 0.063 0.063 0.126 0.095
80 36.16 36.19 36.18 36.21 36.20 0.083 0.055 0.138 0.111
90 40.68 40.71 40.71 40.73 40.73 0.074 0.074 0.123 0.123
100 45.20 45.23 45.23 45.25 45.25 0.066 0.066 0.111 0.111

We used an Mag-01 magnetometer, made by Bartington Instruments [14] as a standard instrument for measuring a
constant magnetic field, and a Fluke 5520A universal calibrator as a measure of dc current strength, for experimental investi-
gations of the coils.

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 The results of the measurements of the magnetic induction at the center of the coil system and at a distance of ±R/2
and ±R/3 from the center for a current strength of 1–100 mA are shown in Table 3. The relative deviations of the magnetic
induction from the value at the center of the system at these distances were calculated from the formula

δz = [(Bz=0 – Bz≠0)/Bz=0]·100.

It follows from Table 3 that, for a current strength of 1 mA at the center of the coil system, we obtain Bz=0 = 452 nT,
which differs from the calculated value by 0.7%. The magnetic field nonuniformity at a distance of ±R/3 from the center of the
coil system does not exceed 0.16%, while at a distance of ±R/2 it is not greater than 0.09%. It should be noted that the magnetic
field nonuniformity in a practical system of coils is greater than the calculated value due to the fact that, in the calculations of
the nonuniformity, we ignored the thickness of the turns (the wire) of the coils. For a current strength of 1–100 mA, the range
of values of the magnetic induction reproduced by the coil system is 0.452–45.2 μT. Hence, the coil system is suitable for
calibrating weak magnetic field sensors and magnetometers based on them with an error not greater than 0.5%.

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