Development and Validation of a 100 kW-Class Fuel Cell System Controller for Passenger Cars

Fuel cell (FC) vehicle is an important technology route to achieve carbon neutrality in transportation. This paper examines the integration, system control, and performance test of a high-power self-humidifying fuel cell system for passenger cars. Firstly, a high specific power FC system integration scheme is designed, and a highly integrated 100 kW self-humidifying fuel cell system is realized based on the installation requirements of passenger cars. Then, the system controller application layer is developed using Matlab/Simulink and the controller rapid development prototype for complete closed-loop control of each subsystem, such as hydrogen supply, air supply, cooling, and electrical management. Finally, the performance dynamics experiment of the 100 kW FC system is conducted based on the developed system controller. The results show that the developed system controller provides high-quality control effects of operating parameters such as air flow and pressure, hydrogen supply pressure, and cooling water temperature for the stack to meet different operating requirements. The highest efficiency of the system reaches 62%, and the coefficient of variation (Cv) of the cell voltages is controlled to be less than 1%. This study contribute to accelerate the deployment and application of high-power FC systems in passenger cars.