Ripple Current Reduction of a Fuel Cell for a Single-Phase Isolated Converter Using a DC Active Filter With a Center Tap

Abstract

A ripple current reduction method is proposed that does not require additional switching devices. A current ripple that has twice the frequency component of the power supply is generated in the dc part when a single-phase pulsewidth-modulated inverter is used for a grid connection. The current ripple causes shortening of the lifetime of electrolytic capacitors, batteries, and fuel cells. The proposed circuit realizes a dc active filter function without increasing the number of switching devices, because the energy buffer capacitor is connected to the center tap of the isolation transformer. In addition, the buffer capacitor voltage is controlled by the common-mode voltage of the inverter. The features of the proposed circuit, control strategy, and experimental results are described, including the result of ripple reduction, to approximately 20% that of the conventional circuit.