When inductors are connected in parallel, their total equivalent inductance differs from the way resistors behave in parallel. In a parallel inductor configuration, the reciprocal of the total equivalent inductance is the sum of the reciprocals of the individual inductances:
1
eq
=
1
1
+
1
2
+
1
3
+
…
L
eq
1
=
L
1
1
+
L
2
1
+
L
3
1
+…
Where:
eq
L
eq
is the total equivalent inductance of the parallel inductor configuration.
1
,
2
,
3
,
…
L
1
,L
2
,L
3
,… are the individual inductances of the inductors connected in parallel.
It's important to note that when dealing with inductors in parallel, unlike resistors, the total equivalent inductance will always be smaller than the smallest individual inductance. This is because adding more paths for current to flow in parallel reduces the overall opposition to changes in current, resulting in a decrease in effective inductance.
For practical applications, it's a good idea to keep the individual inductances in the parallel configuration relatively similar to avoid significant imbalances. This will help ensure that the total equivalent inductance doesn't deviate too far from the average of the individual inductances.