Modelling of the PEM Fuel Cell and Design of a Closed Loop Control Based DC-DC Boost Converter For Locomotive Application

The paper presents an approach for modelling of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and the design of a closed loop control based DC-DC boost converter for supplying dynamically varying power demand similar to a locomotive. The PEMFC modelling is carried out as an optimization problem to determine its equivalent circuit parameters with the error minimization between the experimental and simulated PEMFC output voltage. The DC-DC boost converter is designed to maintain a desired DC-link voltage, irrespective of the changes in the PEMFC output voltage with varying operating and loading conditions. The MATLAB/SIMULINK model of the proposed PEMFC-based energy system is developed to examine the performance of the PEMFC and the designed controller under the dynamically varying load of a practical drive cycle scenario. For the controller design of the DC-DC boost converter, the mathematical concept of venable K-factor is used.