Oxygen Excess Ratio Regulation for PEMFC Air Supply Systems Using Unscented Kalman Filter and Full-State Feedback Control

Control-oriented research related to the air supply system of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is of great importance for ensuring the safety and reliable operation of fuel cell-based energy systems. Key control objectives include regulating the oxygen excess ratio (OER), optimizing the net output power, and limiting the pressure difference between the anode and cathode. Particularly, regulating the OER plays an important role in supporting other health-conscious control objectives for PEMFC systems. Therefore, this paper introduces a fundamental OER regulation structure that combines the unscented Kalman filter with full-state feedback control. The proposed control structure achieves OER regulation with a reasonable time response and zero static error. This research provides a foundation for future comparative studies on different advanced control algorithms addressing various control objectives.