Optimal PID plus fuzzy controller design for a PEM fuel cell air feed system using the self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy Vol. 40; no. 30; pp. 9422 - 9434
• Main Authors: Beirami, Hamed, Shabestari, Ali Zargar, Zerafat, Mohammad Mahdi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 10.08.2015
• Subjects: Air supply system; Fuzzy logic control; Maximum power tracking; PEM fuel cell (PEMFC); Self-adaptive differential evolution (SaDE) algorithm; Fuzzy logic control; Self-adaptive differential evolution (SaDE) algorithm; Air supply system; Maximum power tracking; PEM fuel cell (PEMFC)
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.05.114

Various control strategies for the air feed to a PEM fuel cell are investigated. Feedback and feedforward control strategies are used simultaneously in order to achieve maximum net power and prevent oxygen starvation. The control objective is to adjust the oxygen excess ratio using compressed air based on external disturbance variations. Maximum power tracking is obtained using the optimal oxygen excess ratio which is also compared to the constant oxygen excess ratio. In the feedforward strategy, a fuzzy logic controller and in the feedback a filtered PID controller is applied. The controller parameters are optimized simultaneously using a self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed technique improves the fuel cell system performance and prevents oxygen starvation by fixing the oxygen ratio at a proper setpoint. •Air feed control for a PEM fuel cell.•PID control design performed simultaneously with feedforward fuzzy control.•The optimization approach for PID and fuzzy control parameters: SaDE algorithm.•Net power output of PEMFC increased using maximum power tracking technique.