Real-Time Control for Air Excess Ratio of a PEM Fuel Cell System

This paper studies the modeling and air flow control for a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells using model predictive control (MPC). The PEM fuel cell model was constructed using cell current-voltage relationships, including Nernst voltage, activation, ohmic, and concentration voltage loss. A thermal model was also included for PEM fuel cell model to represent the pressure characteristics. The validity of the model was evaluated by determining the model parameters, and its accuracy was verified against the experimental data. To prevent starvation that might occur in the fuel cell hybrid vehicle system, air flow control was utilized using MPC. MATLAB/Simulink model was first constructed to simulate the efficacy of MPC using the linearized model. The validity and performance superiority of the model were then confirmed by comparing them with the proportional-integral control result. To apply the MPC in real-time, a LabVIEW-based experimental rig was constructed, and its efficacy in preventing air starvation was verified.