Comparison between Two Different Snubbers of a Boost Converter for Achieving Soft-switching Features

Abstract

This paper presents a comparison between two different snubbers of a boost converter for achieving soft-switching features. To obtain high current capability and high conversion efficiency, a boost converter is operated in a hard-switching mode, which will induce high component stresses, high switching losses of active switches, and serious electromagnetic interference (EMI). To overcome these disadvantages, two different snubbers using simple passive components that are incorporated in boost converters are compared. The two different snubbers are a buck snubber and a boost snubber. In this study, the performance and efficiency of boost converters with the buck snubber and with the boost snubber are obtained. From the characteristic analyses and experimental results, it has been verified that the boost converter with the boost snubber achieved lower component stresses, lower switching losses of active switches and higher conversion efficiency than the boost converter with the buck snubber.