Microcomputer control of a fuel cell power system

Microcomputer-based control of a fuel cell power conditioning system connected directly to the public grid is described. The control-functions are implemented using Intel 8XC196KD20 single-chip microcontroller-based hardware and software. The microcontroller is responsible for protection of the fuel cell, sequencing control, some diagnostics and protection. Moreover, a reactive predictive control scheme has been used in the system to compensate the reactive energy of the grid load. The controller has been tested in the laboratory with a prototype power conditioner and shows excellent performance.<>