Optimal Energy Management for Fuel Saving in the Fuel Cell Hybrid Excavator

This paper describes an optimal energy management approach for a fuel cell hybrid excavator (FCHE) powered by a fuel cell (FC) system and energy storage devices composed of a Li-ion battery pack and supercapacitor bank. In order to meet the fuel-saving demand, an equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) is proposed, which not only guarantees the load power adaptation but also minimizes the hydrogen consumption and improves the operating efficiency of the fuel cell stack. Comparative simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed ECMS methodology under different working conditions.