Maximum Power Point Tracking With Reactant Flow Optimization of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Abstract

In this paper, a fuel cell (FC) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) with fuel flow optimization is presented. The aim of this study is to extract the maximum power from a FC at different fuel flow rates and to protect the FC from overcurrent and voltage collapse across terminals. The system is composed of a tracker with a buck converter able to change the output impedance of the FC and therefore its power. In order to illustrate our approach, the tracker is simulated by using both static and dynamic FC models to describe the FC response. Simulation results show the behavior of the tracker at different fuel and oxidant flow rates and verify the concept of maximum power tracking.