Nonlinear Grey-Box Modeling and Model Predictive Control for Cascade-Type PEM Fuel Cell Stack

In this paper, nonlinear dynamic model and model predictive control (MPC) of a cascade-type polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack are presented. The aim of this study is to track the desired voltage trajectory of the dead-end cascade-type PEM fuel cell stack. The stack is integrated with humidifiers and water separators, and both anode side and cathode side of the stack operate in a dead-end mode. The framework of this paper is twofold: i) nonlinear dynamic modeling of the cascade-type PEM fuel cell stack with integrated humidifiers and water separators and validation of the obtained model, ii) designing model predictive controller to attain output tracking. Performance of the controller is validated off-line through experimental tests carried out on 400 W cascade-type PEM fuel cell stack consisting of 4 cells. Results show that the proposed controller tracks the desired trajectory with a high accuracy.