Control of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System

265 p.In the era of sustainable development, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology has shown significant potential as a renewable energy source. This thesis focuses on improving the performance of the PEM fuel cell system through the use of appropriate algorithms for controlling the power interface. The main objective is to find an effective and optimal algorithm or control law for keeping the stack operating at an adequate power point. Add to this, it is intended to apply the artificial intelligence approach for studying the effect of temperature and humidity on the stack performance. The main points addressed in this study are : modeling of a PEM fuel cell system, studying the effect of temperature and humidity on the PEM fuel cell stack, studying the most common used power converters in renewable energy systems, studying the most common algorithms applied on fuel cell systems, design and implementation of a new MPPT control method for the PEM fuel cell system

Fuzzy Logic Approach for Maximum Power Point Tracking Implemented in a Real Time Photovoltaic System

Photovoltaic (PV) panels are devices capable of converting solar energy to electrical without emissions generation, and can last for several years as there are no moving parts involved. The best performance can be achieved through maximum power point tracking (MPPT), which is challenging because it requires a sophisticated design, since the solar energy fluctuates throughout the day. The PV used in this research provided a low output voltage and, therefore, a boost-converter with a non-linear control law was implemented to reach a suitable end-used voltage. The main contribution of this research is a novel MPPT method based on a voltage reference estimator (VRE) combined with a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) in order to obtain the maximum power from the PV panel. This structure was implemented in a dSpace 1104 board for a commercial PV panel, PEIMAR SG340P. The scheme was compared with a conventional perturbation and observation (P&O) and with a sliding mode controller (SMC), where the outcomes demonstrated the superiority of the proposed advanced method.This research was funded by the Basque Government, Diputación Foral de Álava and UPV/EHU, respectively, through the projects EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092), CONAVANTER and GIU20/063

Experimental validation of fuzzy type-2 against type-1 scheme applied in DC/DC converter integrated to a PEM fuel cell system

This research presents and compares the outcomes of experimental implementations of different fuzzy logic control structures for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). These devices are well known for their capability to transform chemical energy into electrical with low emissions. Commonly, a PEMFC has a linkage with a boost converter which allows a suitable end-user voltage through a nonlinear control law. Hence, the contribution in this sense is the experimental comparison of two fuzzy logic strategies known as type-1 and type-2 that were implemented in a PEMFC system. The approaches were embedded in a control board dSPACE 1102 which also has the capability to acquire data. The contrast of results showed capabilities improvement against disturbances in terms of error reduction, control signal, and robustness.The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Basque Government, through the project EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092), to the Diputación Foral de Álava (DFA), through the project CONAVANTER, and to the UPV/EHU, through the project GIU20/063, for supporting this work

A global integral terminal sliding mode control based on a novel reaching law for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are devices with huge potential for renewable and clean industries due to their high efficiency and low emissions. Since the proton exchange membrane fuel cell employed in this research supplied a low output voltage, it was encouraged to use a boost converter with a designed non-linear controller to provide a suitable end-user voltage. In this paper, we proposed a novel control framework based on sliding mode control, which is a global integral sliding mode control linked with a quick reaching law that has been implemented in a commercial fuel cell system Heliocentris FC50 through a dSpace 1102 control board. We compared the strategy with a conventional sliding mode controller and an integral terminal sliding mode controller where we addressed a Lyapunov stability proof has for each structure. We contrasted the experimental outcomes where we proved the superiority of the proposed novel design in terms of robustness, convergence speed. Additionally, as the sliding mode controllers are well known by the energy consumption caused by the chattering effect, we analysed every framework in these terms. Finally, it was found that the proposed structure offered an enhancement in the energy consumption issues. Moreover, the applicability of the proposed control scheme has been demonstrated through the real time implementation over a commercial fuel cell.The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Basque Govern-ment, through the project EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092) , to the Diputacion Foral de alava (DFA) , through the project CONA-VANTER, and to the UPV/EHU, through the project GIU20/063, for supporting this work. The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Basque Govern-ment, through the project EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092) , to the Diputacion Foral de alava (DFA) , through the project CONA-VANTER, and to the UPV/EHU, through the project GIU20/063, for supporting this work

Machine Learning Approach for Modeling and Control of a Commercial Heliocentris FC50 PEM Fuel Cell System

In recent years, machine learning (ML) has received growing attention and it has been used in a wide range of applications. However, the ML application in renewable energies systems such as fuel cells is still limited. In this paper, a prognostic framework based on artificial neural network (ANN) is designed to predict the performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system, aiming to investigate the effect of temperature and humidity on the stack characteristics and on tracking control improvements. A large part of the experimental database for various operating conditions has been used in the training operation to achieve an accurate model. Extensive tests with various ANN parameters such as number of neurons, number of hidden layers, selection of training dataset, etc., are performed to obtain the best fit in terms of prediction accuracy. The effect of temperature and humidity based on the predicted model are investigated and compared to the ones obtained from real-time experiments. The control design based on the predicted model is performed to keep the stack operating point at an adequate power stage with high-performance tracking. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed model for performance improvements of PEM fuel cell system.This research was funded by the Basque Government, Diputación Foral de Álava and UPV/EHU, respectively, through the projects EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092), CONAVANTER and GIU20/063

High-Performance Tracking for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System PEMFC Using Model Predictive Control

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has recently attracted broad attention from many researchers due to its cleanliness, high efficiency and soundless operation. The obtention of high-performance output characteristics is required to overcome the market restrictions of the PEMFC technologies. Therefore, the main aim of this work is to maintain the system operating point at an adequate and efficient power stage with high-performance tracking. To this end, a model predictive control (MPC) based on a global minimum cost function for a two-step horizon was designed and implemented in a boost converter integrated with a fuel cell system. An experimental comparative study has been investigated between the MPC and a PI controller to reveal the merits of the proposed technique. Comparative results have indicated that a reduction of 15.65% and 86.9% , respectively, in the overshoot and response time could be achieved using the suggested control structure.The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Basque Government, through the project EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092), to the Diputación Foral de Álava (DFA), through the project CONAVANTER, and to the UPV/EHU, through the project GIU20/063, for supporting this work

A Robust Maximum Power Point Tracking Control Method for a PEM Fuel Cell Power System

Taking into account the limited capability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to produce energy, it is mandatory to provide solutions, in which an efficient power produced by PEMFCs can be attained. The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) plays a considerable role in the performance improvement of the PEMFCs. Conventional MPPT algorithms showed good performances due to their simplicity and easy implementation. However, oscillations around the maximum power point and inefficiency in the case of rapid change in operating conditions are their main drawbacks. To this end, a new MPPT scheme based on a current reference estimator is presented. The main goal of this work is to keep the PEMFCs functioning at an efficient power point. This goal is achieved using the backstepping technique, which drives the DC-DC boost converter inserted between the PEMFC and the load. The stability of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by means of Lyapunov analysis. To verify the ability of the proposed method, an extensive simulation test is executed in a Matlab-Simulink (TM) environment. Compared with the well-known proportional-integral (PI) controller, results indicate that the proposed backstepping technique offers rapid and adequate converging to the operating power point.The authors are very grateful to the UPV/EHU for its support through the projects PPGA18/04 and to the Basque Government for its support through the project ETORTEK KK-2017/00033. The authors would also like to thank the Tunisian Government for its support through the research unit UR11ES82

Experimental Analysis of a Fuzzy Scheme against a Robust Controller for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are capable of transforming chemical energy into electrical energy with zero emissions. Therefore, these devices had been a point of attention for the scientific community as to provide another solution to renewable sources of energy. Since the PEMFC is commonly driven with a power converter, a controller has to be implemented to supply a convenient voltage. This is an important task as it allows the system to be driven at an operative point, which can be related to the maximum power or an user desired spot. Along this research article, a robust controller was compared against a fuzzy logic strategy (with symmetric membership functions) where both were implemented to a commercial PEMFC through a dSPACE 1102 control board. Both proposals were analysed in an experimental test bench. Outcomes showed the advantages and disadvantages of each scheme in chattering reduction, accuracy, and convergence speed.This research was funded by the Basque Government through project EKOHEGAZ (ELKARTEK KK-2021/00092), by the Diputación Foral de Álava (DFA), through project CONAVANTER, and by the UPV/EHU, through project GIU20/063

Design and Implementation of High Order Sliding Mode Control for PEMFC Power System

Fuel cells are considered as one of the most promising methods to produce electrical energy due to its high-efficiency level that reaches up to 50%, as well as high reliability with no polluting effects. However, scientists and researchers are interested more in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Thus, it has been considered as an ideal solution to many engineering applications. The main aim of this work is to keep the PEMFC operating at an adequate power point. To this end, conventional first-order sliding mode control (SMC) is used. However, the chattering phenomenon, which is caused by the SMC leads to a low control accuracy and heat loss in the energy circuits. In order to overcome these drawbacks, quasi-continuous high order sliding mode control (QC-HOSM) is proposed so as to improve the power quality and performance. The control stability is proven via the Lyapunov theory. The closed-loop system consists of a PEM fuel cell, a step-up converter, a DSPACE DS1104, SMC and QC-HOSM algorithms and a variable load resistance. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme, experimental results are compared with the conventional SMC. The obtained results show that a chattering reduction of 84% could be achieved using the proposed method.This work was partially supported by Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco [grant number SMAR3NAK ELKARTEK KK-2019/00051]; the Provincial Council of Alava (DFA) [grant number CONAVAUTIN 2] (Collaboration Agreement)

Real-Time Implementation of a New MPPT Control Method for a DC-DC Boost Converter Used in a PEM Fuel Cell Power System

settings Open AccessArticle Real-Time Implementation of a New MPPT Control Method for a DC-DC Boost Converter Used in a PEM Fuel Cell Power System by Mohamed Derbeli 1,2,* [OrcID] , Oscar Barambones 1 [OrcID] , Mohammed Yousri Silaa 1 [OrcID] and Cristian Napole 1 [OrcID] 1 Engineering School of Vitoria, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Nieves Cano 12, 1006 Vitoria, Spain 2 National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Omar Ibn-Elkhattab, 6029 Gabes, Tunisia * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Actuators 2020, 9(4), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/act9040105 Received: 30 August 2020 / Revised: 25 September 2020 / Accepted: 10 October 2020 / Published: 16 October 2020 (This article belongs to the Section High Torque/Power Density Actuators) Download PDF Browse Figures Abstract Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells demonstrate potential as a comprehensive and general alternative to fossil fuel. They are also considered to be the energy source of the twenty-first century. However, fuel cell systems have non-linear output characteristics because of their input variations, which causes a significant loss in the overall system output. Thus, aiming to optimize their outputs, fuel cells are usually coupled with a controlled electronic actuator (DC-DC boost converter) that offers highly regulated output voltage. High-order sliding mode (HOSM) control has been effectively used for power electronic converters due to its high tracking accuracy, design simplicity, and robustness. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method based on a combination of reference current estimator (RCE) and high-order prescribed convergence law (HO-PCL) for a PEM fuel cell power system. The proposed MPPT method is implemented practically on a hardware 360W FC-42/HLC evaluation kit. The obtained experimental results demonstrate the success of the proposed method in extracting the maximum power from the fuel cell with high tracking performance.This work was partially supported by Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco [grant number SMAR3NAK ELKARTEK KK-2019/00051]; the Provincial Council of Alava (DFA) [grant number CONAVAUTIN 2] (Collaboration Agreement)