Passive Islanding Detection Using Inverter Nonlinear Effects

This paper analyzes the use of the voltage distortions in pulse width modulation voltage-source inverters caused by the inverter switching for islanding detection purposes. The nonideal characteristics of the inverters, mainly due to the dead time needed to have safe commutations, produce fundamental frequency-dependent harmonics (-5th, 7th, ...) in the output voltage. These harmonic order are, in principle, an unwanted effect, as they reduce the power quality. However, they can potentially be used for islanding detection purposes. The physical principles of the method would be the same as for high-frequency signal injection methods that have already been proposed, but without the need of injecting a high-frequency signal, behaving, therefore, as a passive islanding detection technique.