Temperature model and predictive control for fuel cells in switcher locomotive

The stack temperature plays a major role in ensuring highly reliable and efficient operations of the fuel cell system, and it directly affects the rate of chemical reactions and transport of water and reactants. In the fuel cell system for switcher locomotive, the thermal circuit consists of the stack, a bypass valve, a radiator with a fan, a coolant pump, and connecting pipes. In this paper, the thermal circuit was modeled. Model predictive control for the thermal circuit was employed in the design. The control objectives aim at satisfying the coolant temperature at the entry of the stack between 60–63°C, the temperature difference less 10 °C. and maximum efficiency. The dynamics and performance of the designed controllers were assessed and analyzed by simulations. The results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy cannot only accurately track the temperature reference over the all range of operating conditions but also reduce the parasitic power dissipated for the operation of the fan and coolant pump.