Study of Budding Snubber Quality Deterioration in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell‐Fed Inverter Used in Microgrid Energy Conversion

Abstract

One of the biggest issues today is generating energy in a way that is clean, effective, and environmentally benign. The most crucial part of an integrated grid‐connected system is the grid inverter. Budding snubber quality deterioration in the microgrid (MG) inverters is a very critical issue. Snubbers are essential components in power electronic circuits. Snubbers increase efficiency and reliability while also enhancing circuit performance, enabling greater switching frequencies. Herein, a nascent snubber resistance fault (NSF) detection technique in a three‐phase inverter (3PhI) connected with the solid oxide fuel cell used in MG applications is presented. For fault detection, an investigation is conducted using the fast Fourier transform to the inverter output current signal. The investigation is done on the effect of different percentages of snubber resistance fault in the inverter on the zero‐frequency component, fundamental current component, total harmonic distortion factor, and the subharmonic current components of the inverter current. Depending on the best‐fit parameters, an attempt is made to successfully detect the 3PhI NSF. An algorithm is proposed for NSF detection. Furthermore, this investigation's distinctive contribution and comparative analysis are presented.