Abstract
This work presents an optimum energy management framework, which is developed for integrated Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems. The objective is to address in a centralized manner the control issues that arise during the operation of the fuel cell (FC) system and to monitor and evaluate the system’s performance at real time. More specifically the operation objectives are to deliver the demanded power while operating at a safe region, avoiding starvation, and concurrently minimize the fuel consumption at stable temperature conditions. To achieve these objectives a novel Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy is developed and demonstrated. A semiempirical experimentally validated model is used which is able to capture the dynamic behaviour of the PEMFC. Furthermore, the MPC strategy was integrated in an industrial-grade automation system to demonstrate its applicability in realistic environment. The proposed framework relies on a novel nonlinear MPC (NMPC) formulation that uses a dynamic optimization method that recasts the multivariable control problem into a nonlinear programming problem using a warm-start initialization method and a search space reduction technique which is based on a piecewise affine approximation of the variable’s feasible space.The behaviour of the MPC framework is experimentally verified through the online deployment to a small-scale fully automated PEMFC unit. During the experimental scenarios the PEMFC system demonstrated excellent response in terms of computational effort and accuracy with respect to the control objectives.
Highlights
AND MOTIVATIONThe shift towards a low carbon, efficient and secure economy requires targeted deployment of innovative technologies and increased exploitation of renewable energy sources
The advanced control (Section 3) and structure of the online energy management framework is discussed (Section 4) which is deployed to the PEMFC into consideration
Overall the online energy management framework used in this work, has a number of interacting entities that form a computer-aided platform for the monitoring and control of the PEMFC unit [9]
Summary
The shift towards a low carbon, efficient and secure economy requires targeted deployment of innovative technologies and increased exploitation of renewable energy sources. A number of diverse technologies exist that aim at the same target, the synergy between the increased use of renewable energy sources, renewable hydrogen and electricity from fuel cells represent one of the promising ways to realize sustainable energy. Fuel cell and hydrogen technologies have the potential to contribute to the ambitious energy and climate objectives of the European Union for 2020 which are the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, the increase of the share of renewable energy to 20% and the improvement of the energy efficiency by 20% [1]
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