On the Anode Pressure and Humidity Regulation in PEM Fuel Cells: A Nonlinear Predictive Control Approach

Abstract

In this paper, a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) strategy is proposed to regulate the humidity in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) anode. The proposed control strategy uses two controllers in cascade to regulate the humidity and pressure in the anode, separately. With this strategy, safety and performance constraints for pressure and humidity can be guaranteed and external disturbances, as changes in stack current demand, are rejected.