Development of control strategies and topologies for alternative energy systems

电力电子系统被广泛应用于燃料电池等替代能源系统中，将燃料电池的能量转换、控制和供应给负载(独立系统)或公用电网(并网系统)。燃料电池(FC)是一种通过电化学结合燃料(如天然气、氢、甲醇等)来产生电能的能量转换装置。和氧化剂(空气中的氧气)。燃料电池与电池的相似之处在于都能产生直流电压和电流。因此，由DC-DC电源转换器和DC-AC逆变器组成的功率调节单元需要作为负载或标准公用电网的接口。燃料电池用功率变流器的电力电子设计人员面临着确保高可靠性、高效率、低成本和运行安全的挑战。这些理想的特性可以通过开发合适的功率转换器拓扑和控制策略来实现。燃料电池电堆外围设备的高成本和复杂性阻碍了功率转换器的成功开发。燃料电池模拟器可以在不使用实际燃料电池组的情况下模拟燃料电池组，这将降低开发成本并促进功率调节系统的进步。本研究计划的目标是开发一种基于直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFC)的健壮且通用的燃料电池发电系统。在短期内，建议研究、开发和实施电力电子转换器的控制策略，使燃料电池模拟器能够为独立应用模拟燃料电池电堆的电气特性。拟议的研究解决了对更容易和更便宜的方法的需求，以加强燃料电池发电系统的开发。从战略上讲，该研究计划寻求开发一个实验试验台，用于提供综合解决方案，以满足对智能、清洁和高效的可持续能源的需求。该研究计划还将为高年级本科生和研究生提供替代能源系统领域的培训。

Power electronic systems are widely used in alternative energy systems such as fuel cells to transform, control and supply the energy from the fuel cell to the load (stand-alone systems) or the utility grid (grid-connected systems). A fuel cell (FC) is an energy conversion device that produces electricity by electrochemically combining fuel (e.g. natural gas, hydrogen, methanol, etc.) and oxidant (oxygen from air). Fuel cells are similar to batteries in that both produce dc voltage and current. Hence, power conditioning units consisting of dc-dc power converters and dc-ac inverters are required as interfaces to the load or the standard utility grid. Power electronics designers of the power converters for fuel cell applications face the challenge of ensuring high reliability, high efficiency, low cost, and safety of operation. These desirable features can be achieved through the development of suitable power converter topologies and control strategies. The successful development of the power converters is hindered by the high cost and complexity of peripheral devices of fuel cell stack. A fuel cell simulator that can emulate a fuel cell stack without using an actual fuel cell stack will reduce developmental costs and enable the advancement of the power conditioning systems.The goal of the proposed research program is to develop a robust and versatile fuel cell generation system based on the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). In the short term, it is proposed to investigate, develop and implement control strategies for the power electronic converters that will enable the fuel cell simulator to emulate the electrical characteristics of the fuel cell stack for stand-alone applications.The proposed research addresses the need for an easier and cheaper approach to enhance the development of fuel cell generation systems. Strategically, the research program seeks to develop an experimental test-bed that will be used to provide integrated solutions to meet the demand for smart, clean and efficient sustainable energy resources. The research program will also provide training for senior undergraduate and graduate students in the area of alternative energy systems.