In this paper, a simplified and robust control strategy of an interleaved high gain DC/DC boost converter (IHGBC) is proposed in order to enhance DC bus voltage regulation in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications. The fluctuation of the energy source voltage and external load, and the change in system parameters lead to the instability of output voltage. Based on the creation of an average state space model of the DC/DC boost converter, the proposed controller is designed based on a linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC), which has an external voltage loop and an internal current loop to meet the output voltage requirements under parameters uncertainties and disturbances. The effectiveness of the proposed approach strategy and its superiority were examined under different operating conditions and scenarios. Simulation and experiment results showed the efficiency and robustness of the suggested approach and the great effectiveness in the reference tracking and disturbance rejection.

Despite the development witnessed by fuel cell systems and considering them as a promising technology in the future. Faults management in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell systems remains the major obstacle to meeting durability and reliability requirements for their use and commercialization, especially in automotive applications. DC/DC converters are used for power conditioning purposes in fuel cell systems, and can be also used in fault management. This study presents a promising solution for managing the most common faults in fuel cell systems (flooding and drying phenomena). The Fault-tolerant control is applied to an Interleaved High Gain DC/DC Boost Converter (IHGBC) associated with the fuel cell in event of faults. The strategy applied to the DC/DC converter controls the fuel cell current and voltage operating points, mitigating the fuel cell fault. The current drawn by the fuel cell changes according to the fault occurrence. a low current density operation offers the possibility of mitigating the flood fault, while the high current density process has advantage of increasing the water production in the cathode and thus avoiding the membrane drying. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed fault-tolerant control strategy in improving cell performance and restoring the optimal operation. Copyright © 2022 Praise Worthy Prize - All rights reserved.