Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications

Mainstream power-conditioning devices such as boost converters are frequently utilized for developing a compatible interface between a fuel cell, electrical storage, and high power loads. The conventional power stage comprising a unique boost converter suffers from low efficiency and poor reliabilit...

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Main Authors: Iqbal M., Benmouna A., Claude F., Becherif M.
Other Authors: 57209544879
Format: Article
Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) 2024
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Institution: Universiti Tenaga Nasional
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spelling my.uniten.dspace-341432024-10-14T11:18:08Z Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications Iqbal M. Benmouna A. Claude F. Becherif M. 57209544879 57191838421 56979148900 22233339000 boost converters equalization filter experimental setup fuel cell power conditioning Boost converter Electric loads Equalizers Fuel storage MATLAB BOOST converter Cell-based Circulating current Equalization filters Experimental setup High power High power applications Parallel-coupled Power conditioning Power sharing Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) Mainstream power-conditioning devices such as boost converters are frequently utilized for developing a compatible interface between a fuel cell, electrical storage, and high power loads. The conventional power stage comprising a unique boost converter suffers from low efficiency and poor reliability due to excessive power losses, particularly in high-power applications. Additionally, the presence of high ripple contents can reduce the lifespan of the fuel cell itself. With this background, this paper proposes and experimentally validates a physical components-assisted equivalent power-sharing strategy between parallel-coupled boost converters (PCCs) that is subjected to a wide spectrum of low-voltage�high-power conditions. The operation of PCCs is bottlenecked by several practical limitations, such as the presence of inner circulating currents (ICCs) and stability issues associated with the equivalent sharing of power. To overcome these limitations, a module of reverse blocking diodes is suggested to avoid ICCs between the PCCs. Further, an equalization filter is properly placed to improve the equivalent power-sharing capability. The proposed strategy is theoretically assessed in a MATLAB/Simulink environment with a 6 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) as the main power source. A scaled-down laboratory setup consisting of an 810 W PEMFC stack, an electronic load, three boost converters, and a filter circuit is then designed and critically evaluated. A consistent agreement is observed between the experimental findings and the simulation results under realistic operating conditions. � 2023 by the authors. Final 2024-10-14T03:18:08Z 2024-10-14T03:18:08Z 2023 Article 10.3390/en16134915 2-s2.0-85164967561 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85164967561&doi=10.3390%2fen16134915&partnerID=40&md5=2cd041aa745545a7a0b7763e06857e2b https://irepository.uniten.edu.my/handle/123456789/34143 16 13 4915 All Open Access Gold Open Access Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) Scopus
institution Universiti Tenaga Nasional
building UNITEN Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Tenaga Nasional
content_source UNITEN Institutional Repository
url_provider http://dspace.uniten.edu.my/
topic boost converters
equalization filter
experimental setup
fuel cell
power conditioning
Boost converter
Electric loads
Equalizers
Fuel storage
MATLAB
BOOST converter
Cell-based
Circulating current
Equalization filters
Experimental setup
High power
High power applications
Parallel-coupled
Power conditioning
Power sharing
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC)
spellingShingle boost converters
equalization filter
experimental setup
fuel cell
power conditioning
Boost converter
Electric loads
Equalizers
Fuel storage
MATLAB
BOOST converter
Cell-based
Circulating current
Equalization filters
Experimental setup
High power
High power applications
Parallel-coupled
Power conditioning
Power sharing
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC)
Iqbal M.
Benmouna A.
Claude F.
Becherif M.
Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications
description Mainstream power-conditioning devices such as boost converters are frequently utilized for developing a compatible interface between a fuel cell, electrical storage, and high power loads. The conventional power stage comprising a unique boost converter suffers from low efficiency and poor reliability due to excessive power losses, particularly in high-power applications. Additionally, the presence of high ripple contents can reduce the lifespan of the fuel cell itself. With this background, this paper proposes and experimentally validates a physical components-assisted equivalent power-sharing strategy between parallel-coupled boost converters (PCCs) that is subjected to a wide spectrum of low-voltage�high-power conditions. The operation of PCCs is bottlenecked by several practical limitations, such as the presence of inner circulating currents (ICCs) and stability issues associated with the equivalent sharing of power. To overcome these limitations, a module of reverse blocking diodes is suggested to avoid ICCs between the PCCs. Further, an equalization filter is properly placed to improve the equivalent power-sharing capability. The proposed strategy is theoretically assessed in a MATLAB/Simulink environment with a 6 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) as the main power source. A scaled-down laboratory setup consisting of an 810 W PEMFC stack, an electronic load, three boost converters, and a filter circuit is then designed and critically evaluated. A consistent agreement is observed between the experimental findings and the simulation results under realistic operating conditions. � 2023 by the authors.
author2 57209544879
author_facet 57209544879
Iqbal M.
Benmouna A.
Claude F.
Becherif M.
format Article
author Iqbal M.
Benmouna A.
Claude F.
Becherif M.
author_sort Iqbal M.
title Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications
title_short Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications
title_full Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications
title_fullStr Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications
title_full_unstemmed Efficient and Reliable Power-Conditioning Stage for Fuel Cell-Based High-Power Applications
title_sort efficient and reliable power-conditioning stage for fuel cell-based high-power applications
publisher Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
publishDate 2024
_version_ 1814061043453788160