Enhancing fuel cell performance through a dual MPC strategy for coordinated temperature management

Abstract

Ensuring the optimal operating temperature is imperative for achieving efficient performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Consequently, this study introduces a dual-model predictive control strategy to regulate the water pump and cooling fan in a cooling system. Initially, we establish an electrochemical and thermal model for fuel cell stacks and validate the model’s accuracy through experimental data. The system model is linearized, and the model predictive control (MPC) controller is formulated using the MATLAB/Simulink toolbox. Subsequently, it is collaboratively simulated with the electrochemical model of the fuel cell stack and the temperature model. To evaluate the effectiveness of the MPC controller, we conducted a comparative analysis with the traditional proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control and water pump MPC under step load, uniform load increase, and variable target scenarios. The findings indicate that in contrast to the PID control, the MPC controller significantly decreases the stack temperature difference fluctuation by more than 50%, maintaining the stack temperature within ±0.6 K of the set value. Furthermore, we independently assessed the performance of the MPC controller under varying ambient temperatures. The findings illustrate that the dual MPC method proficiently adapts cooling parameters across different ambient temperature ranges (288.15 K–308.15 K), ensuring the stable performance of the fuel cell. The model is linearized, and the simulation work is explained mainly on the MATLAB/Simulink platform. In order to compare the effectiveness of the MPC controller, the comparison with the MPC controller strategy of the water pump is added, which can better reflect the effectiveness of the proposed collaborative MPC controller strategy.