Multi-Timescale-Based Partial Optimal Control of a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

• Main Authors: Milos Milanovic, Verica Radisavljevic-Gajic
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-12-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: transient pemfc model; experimental validation; multistage control technique; time scales decoupling; partial optimal control; local controllers
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/1/166

This paper presents a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) transient model in stack current cycling conditions and its partial optimal control. The derived model is used for a specific application of the recently published multistage control technique developed by the authors. The presented control-oriented transient PEMFC model is an extension of the steady-state control-oriented model previously established by the authors. The new model is experimentally validated for transient operating conditions on the <i>Greenlight Innovation G60</i> testing station where the comparison of the experimental and simulation results is presented. The derived five-state nonlinear control-oriented model is linearized, and three clusters of eigenvalues can be clearly identified. This specific feature of the linearized model is known as the three timescale system. A novel multistage optimal control technique is particularly suitable for this class of systems. It is shown that this control technique enables the designer to construct a local LQR, pole-placement or any other linear controller type at the subsystem level completely independently, which further optimizes the performance of the whole non-decoupled system.