Passivity-Based Control for Output Voltage Regulation in a Fuel Cell/Boost Converter System

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Control Systems
• Renewable Energy Systems

Background:

• Fuel cells are crucial for clean energy, but their integration with power electronics requires sophisticated control.
• Boost converters are essential for voltage regulation in fuel cell systems.
• Output voltage stability is critical for reliable fuel cell operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a passivity-based control (PBC) scheme for output voltage regulation in fuel-cell/boost converter systems.
• To enhance system robustness against parameter uncertainties.
• To demonstrate the control scheme's effectiveness through real-time simulations.

Main Methods:

• A current-mode control (CMC) scheme with nested voltage and current loops was designed.
• The inner current loop utilized Euler-Lagrange (E-L) formulation for standard PBC.
• An adaptive law based on immersion and invariance (I&I) theory was developed for parameter approximation.
• Real-time simulations were conducted to test the closed-loop system.

Main Results:

• The proposed PBC scheme achieved precise output voltage regulation.
• The system demonstrated robustness against variations in fuel cell voltage, load, and output voltage reference.
• Asymptotic approximation of uncertain parameters (load, parasitic resistance) was achieved.
• Real-time simulations confirmed the control scheme's effectiveness and stability.

Conclusions:

• The designed passivity-based control scheme effectively regulates output voltage in fuel-cell/boost converter systems.
• The adaptive law enhances system robustness by handling parameter uncertainties.
• The study validates the proposed control strategy's performance and reliability for renewable energy applications.