Multivariable Control of Fuel Cell Breathing in Ground Vehicle Propulsion

在过去的十年中，质子交换膜（PEM）燃料电池取得了巨大的进步，使燃料电池的动力从实验室超越到实验车辆。然而，这项技术的可行性、效率和稳健性取决于对燃料电池（FC）呼吸系统独特的瞬态行为的理解、预测和控制。虽然稳态FC行为被认为是正常的工作模式；启动、停机和负载突然变化是所有发电设备的特点和普遍存在。在所有操作模式下，我们精确控制反应物流量和压力、堆温和膜湿度的能力至关重要。为此，开发了现象学模型和鲁棒控制方法来解决子系统冲突，并解释了传感器保真度和执行器权限施加的非线性相互作用和约束。洞察和严格的指标提供了车辆的电源管理和混合与电池和/或超级电容器的水平。最后，系统分析了控制体系结构对三种电源（FC、电池、超级电容器）与牵引电机逆变器协调的影响。该项目允许学生开发用于FC车辆和动力系统等高度跨学科领域的控制理论工具。这两项技术对我们的国家竞争力和可持续发展的环境都很重要。

Over the last decade there have been dramatic improvements in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells that enabled fuel cell power to transcend from the laboratory to experimental vehicles. However, the viability, efficiency, and robustness of this technology depend on understanding, predicting, and controlling the unique transient behavior of the Fuel Cell (FC) breathing system. Although steady-state FC behavior is considered the normal operating mode; start-up, shut-down, and sudden load changes are characteristic and ubiquitous to all power producing devices. During all operating modes, our ability to precisely control the reactant flow and pressure, stack temperature, and membrane humidity is critical.To this end, phenomenological models and robust control methodologies are developed to address the subsystem conflicts and account for the nonlinear interactions and constraints imposed by sensor fidelity and actuator authority. Insight and rigorous metrics are provided for the vehicle power management and level of hybridization with battery and/or ultra-capacitor. Finally, the impact of the control architecture for the coordination of all the three electric power sources (FC, battery, ultra-capacitor) with the traction motor inverter is systematically analyzed.This project allows students to develop control theoretic tools for the highly interdisciplinary areas of FC vehicles and power systems. Both of these technologies are important to our national competitiveness and a sustainable environment.