Experimental Characterization of the Passive Soft-Switching Snubber Inverter in SiC Motor Drive Applications

A deep analysis on the current overshoot and the overvoltage issues when high-dynamic power devices are used in motor drive applications is discussed in this paper. The influence of the power cable and of the electrical motor at the commutation events of the power semiconductors is verified through a double pulse test setup. To overcome the problem of the overvoltage at the motor side, the design and implementation of the Passive Soft-Switching Snubber Inverter for motor drive applications are presented. The proposed topology is analyzed and tested through the simulations and the experimental campaign. The results show that this topology allows to reduce the overvoltage at the motor terminals when fast commutations and long power cables are used.